


The Cards of Fate

by felicia_angel



Series: Dragontamers [4]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Battle City Arc, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, Gen, M/M, OCs being awesome, Past Child Abuse, Physical Abuse, Trust Issues, Violence, Yami Marik is seriously messed up, always-a-female!Jounouchi, based more on the manga then the anime, canon-divergence (mild), kaiba is a bit of a dick, mind-rape, more talk about shadow games, soul-touching, the god-cards are semi-sentient, we're not pausing in the middle for the noah arc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-07
Updated: 2015-02-08
Packaged: 2018-02-20 07:17:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 61,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2419880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/felicia_angel/pseuds/felicia_angel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After all that happened, Yugi and Yami want to start their relationship without worrying about the other holders of the Millennium Items, or the dangers they pose to them. However, the announcement by Kaiba of a new tournament, and the mysterious prediction of the Ishtars about Yami's fate, brings them into the battle. Jounouchi's anger and determination to prove herself also pulls her into the battle, and all the dangers it poses to her as Yugi's friend and perceived girlfriend.<br/>Also, the God Card's power makes things a bit more interesting in some cases...</p><p>
  <b>UPDATES EVERY-OTHER SUNDAY/MONDAY</b>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The High Priestess (Ishizu Ishtar)

The newspapers run the story about the Egyptian artifacts for a week or more, getting Yugi to frown everytime he sees them. The artifacts came to Japan with one of their curators, and are on a half-year tour before heading back to Egypt. What makes them different, he reads, is that they are a new find, and that it’s hinted they were used for a great deal of time after Egypt was pulled into the Roman Empire. If Yugi hadn’t met Shadi or heard the tale that Pegasus had told them, before his death, he’d be surprised to learn that some of the artifacts had still been in use until about ten years ago.

If he guesses right, it was probably up to about eight years ago.

Yami can sense his unease, which means that much of the time he would have spent worrying about the growing shadows around Domino are instead spent calming Yugi and exploring the various ways that soul-touching affects him. They’ve learned that Yami can ‘feel’ more than Yugi can, and that what would be sensual touches have more of an effect on Yami, unless he cheats and lets Yugi feel what he’s feeling. The result of that rather odd dream/experiment/sensation had left Yugi overly tired and over-sensitive to physical and mental issues, so they hadn’t tried it again. Considering that Anzu had found out and cornered him the next day, doing her best to not lecture him on his decision, Yugi had agreed quickly with Yami’s decision.

Of course, telling Anzu had meant she’d asked to take Yami out on a ‘fact-finding date’. Yugi had been stressed and she’d smiled at him, as she normally did when he was worried or upset. “It’s not a real date, Yugi. I know you, and I’ve seen you and he grow closer over the last year. But that doesn’t stop me from being worried. I still remember how things were before Death-T, and even what happened at Duelist Kingdom. I just want to make sure you’ll be ok, and talk to him about it.” She smiled a bit brighter. “I’ve been your friend the longest, so I think it’s within my rights to give him the ‘mess things up and I will mess _you_ up’ speech.”

Yugi had smiled at that, and the gentle and happy feel from Yami had only made him agree quicker. That Yami was fine with speaking to Anzu about their relationship or his feelings only made Yugi more aware of how he’d become part of the group and part of their lives.

Katsuey wasn’t so easy to read, and Yugi wondered if it wasn’t something that had happened while they were at the hospital. He knew that she’d gone to speak to Shizuka while they were there, but as far as he could see, she hadn’t seen her sister since. Not to mention that she’d appeared more and more antagonistic towards Kaiba as well.

Yugi didn’t blame her for that - Kaiba could often do things that alienated him from the others - but overall Yugi believed that Kaiba simply did that when he was either overly confident or very afraid. The way he’d dueled during Duelist Kingdom, both against Yami and against Pegasus, seemed to show that he was a good person at heart, but that he often made rash or even bad decisions to keep himself safe. Knowing Kaiba’s past, under Gozaburo Kaiba’s thumb, left Yugi to wonder if Kaiba would ever really recover or change enough to be good friends with Katsuye and the others. Anzu seemed to treat him neutrally, neither defending him nor ostracizing him, and Bakura and Honda both simply saw him as “Yami’s rival” instead of part of the group, as Yugi wished he could be. Yes, Kaiba was difficult to get along with and had his issues, but overall, Yugi counted him as a friend, even if he wasn’t a close one.

It also worried him because of how often Kaiba seemed to be drawn into issues that came up around the Millennium Items. With the exhibit in town, or at least getting set up, Yami had noticed a strange gathering of shadows. It gave both him and Yugi a bad feeling, Yugi worrying that this would mean a big change or some new, dark threat. Though Yami admitted the Shadows were passive and not as aggressive as they’d been under Pegasus’ control, it still meant that the Shadows were back and weren’t attached to Bakura’s Ring or his own Puzzle. To Yugi, that only meant a new challenge and danger for Yami, one that he hated for his other half to go through. Yami still considered what happened during the Duel with Pegasus, as well as the events with Shadii, to be partly his own fault. Yugi pointed out that much of the danger to his friends was due to him starting and completing the Puzzle, even if Yami said that Yugi’s influence had only helped to keep him from straying the same way that Shadii and Pegasus had.

Despite that one point of argument, both of them know that, soon, they will have to go and see what the artifacts are, and if they are connected to the Puzzle.

\--

Kaiba dislikes Ishizu almost immediately, but he supposes it’s due to his distrust of anyone that wears a Millennium Item. The necklace she wore carries many of the same markings that the Puzzle and the Eye had, and her talk about Egyptian artifacts only served to bore him. He was there because it was obvious she was part of whatever ‘game’ was going on with the Items, and Kaiba had already learned a hard lesson about knowing his enemy. Hinagata was with him, recovered enough to walk and listen as Kaiba did, but the man was also an expert in what _was_ known, at least publicly, about the Items. He’d found a few others sources that were not for the public, and none of the stories had been any better.

The Puzzle had a reputation, one that dated back to the turn of the century and right after the discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb. Everything but the Puzzle itself had been taken out of the tomb due to the dangers within, and back in the 1930s, treasure-hunters had finally broken into the long-sealed tomb to take it. Of the group, only one had emerged.

The Eye and Ring were other issues - both appeared and disappeared frequently and mostly around Egypt. Talk of someone ‘cursing’ those who went into tombs, no matter how they’d treated the objects or not, was also something circulating. The Item around Ishizu’s neck, though, was not known at all. It had taken a bad translation for Hinagata to even get a possible name - Millennium Tauk - before the nighttime meeting.

“I’m not interested in these artifacts. My company is a technological one...unless you intend to ask for money so I can create something to better explore sites without damaging them, I’m failing to see the reason for this night ‘tour’,” he finally said after Ishizu’s explanation of her agency’s history.

“I explain this so you understand where I come from, as well as understand this,” she said, turning to him and Hinagata. “I am the caretaker of these items because my family has been their caretakers for many centuries. Indeed, I am the first of my family to have any sort of title or work outside of where I was born.”

He’s silent at the admission, frowning as he considered what she said and what the artifacts mean.

“I have set up a specific room, though, to show you why our family has been so secretive. I promise you now, no harm will come to you, if you enter this room. But it is important that you and Hinagata-san both enter and see what I have to show you.”

Hinagata frowned, looking uncomfortable. He’s not stated his name to her, the paranoia that had come up after his rescue from the old virtual reality game that Gozaburo Kaiba had trapped him in obviously leaving him unwilling to enter. Kaiba knew the feeling - even with her promise, he still remembered the feeling of getting his soul forcibly removed, as well as the older feeling of the two losses to Yami that had resulted in him re-examining his beliefs and what he felt needed to be done.

“I understand your reluctance, but what I mean to tell you in there is not for the public. Please.” She waited, and finally Kaiba walked in, forcing Hinagata to follow uncertainly. The other man frowned as the dimmed lights went up as they entered, looking around at some of the items in the area with a frown on his face.

Kaiba could understand his pause. Much of the artwork that dominated the area appeared to be stonework and paintings that were common to see for Ancient Egyptian artwork, but they appeared very different from normal. For one, many of them depicted events that Kaiba knew - his Duel against Yami when Exodia was summoned, Pegasus’ Duelist Kingdom, and even the Virtual world that they’d fought in. Hinagata was looking at other, older works, ones that appeared ancient and didn’t actually show their own dealings, but instead showed what appeared to be an odd story.

“It is said that long ago, a Pharaoh’s advisors learned a dangerous spell from the Millennium book, a tome ancient and filled with dangerous knowledge,” Ishizu told them, narrating the story before them. “With _ma’at_ threatened by outsiders, the Pharaoh agreed that one spell be used, so as to save the kingdom. The chief advisor picked a spell that was dangerous, as it had a chance to bring about disorder and chaos into the kingdom if the magic was used improperly. However, the advisor, spurred by fear for his own family’s safety, performed the ritual and from that, the Seven Millennium Items. The Items controlled the Shadows, the powers between the _duat,_ the dead, and the living. To hold the Shadows and prove their worth, the Advisor took the first, the Eye, and gained powerful insight into a person. He took the others back to the Pharaoh, and with them, _ma’at_ was restored.”

Hinagata looked over and frowned at her. “But not for long.”

“No,” she admitted, motioning to the final painting. “A force of evil and chaos appeared, due to the imbalance within the Shadows. The Pharaoh’s son was forced into a sacrifice, dooming his soul in order to bring back _ma’at_ to the world. During that time, some of the advisors, angry over their loss of power, attempted to create a way that they could control the Pharaoh and the Shadows when he reawoke.” An image, that of a woman with a lion’s head and three lion-like monster behind her, showed up again. “Others, lead at first by the Pharaoh’s most staunch protector, worked to keep this from happening. In the end, all of the advisors were put to death, and their families given the tasks of caring for the tombs holding the separated Items.”

He and Hinagata looked at her as she touched the Tauk on her neck. “I am a descendant of those advisors, tasked with protecting the Tauk. However…” she looked over at the last painting. “The Tauk allows visions of the future, though they are not certain nor are they always true to every degree. My predecessors painted these, before touching the Items became forbidden, and before...many things.” Kaiba looked at the painting, focusing on it and not on the woman who clearly needed a moment to compose herself.

“My apologies. I am here to show you both a possible future, and one that can lead us to a balance of power, rather than the mess it is now,” she motioned to the final painting, “I hope this explains some of what I will ask of you in a moment.”

The final painting showed a tower, similar to the one on Alcatraz Island. Before it, Kaiba and Yami, both dressed in colors often representing royalty, Dueled with the Dark Magician and the Blue Eyes. However, something else seemed to hover over the Duel itself. This was obviously not the final Duel, but one that lead up to the final confrontation. Above them were three monsters, all surrounded by what appeared to be card boundaries.

“This is the ‘battle before darkness falls’. It depicts the Living Osiris, trapped in the Puzzle, fighting against his rival for the right to defeat evil. Depending upon which interpretation you read, either one can win, and either will face a dangerous foe at the end, to stop the arrival of another evil.”

“What does this have to do with Kaiba-san, or with anything in general?” Hinagata asked, looking annoyed at the drawing and at Ishizu’s continued non-answers.

“The three monsters above were shown to Pegasus, along with a commission for three specific cards. Of the paintings here, it is the only one that was lost.”

Kaiba and Hinagata look at her as she says, “The old rivalry between the families of the advisors was brought up, and one sought control over the other. During that time, the painting was copied and defaced. A papyrus scroll, a copy of the original, was taken as well. It describes the three monsters shown in this painting - three beings that are to be brought to life and that will lead the Pharaoh to a point where he may chose his fate.” She motioned up to the three. “I know their names, and some bits about them, but beyond that I can say little else.”

“And you’re telling me this why?” Kaiba asked, glancing at the three monsters then back to Ishizu.

“Because the other two are in the hands of a gang known as the Ghouls.”

Kaiba had heard of that group. They were dangerous and tended to sell items from archeological sites or digs, as well as paintings or rare artwork. At best, they were banes for the community that Ishizu came from, but they also moved in his own circles, as with so few rare cards appearing from Duel Monsters, as well as with Pegasus’ death stalling new cards from being put out at the moment, meaning cards such as his three Blue Eyes, or even ones like Yugi’s Magician of Chaos, or Jounouchi’s Red Eyes, were valuable and pricey.

“The Ghouls wish to gain wealth, but the ones within the circle you work are lead by someone who knows of this painting, and who believes the Pharaoh represents darkness and chaos, a return of antiquated rule and ignorance. He will do all he can to stop it, and thus far has managed to gain access to two of the God cards that Pegasus created.”

Hinagata frowned as Kaiba looked up at the three cards. “So...what, he’s just waiting for the right time then?”

“He knows when the right time is, or at least what the signs are,” she told Hinagata, getting Kaiba to look back at her. “I want you to host a tournament, in Domino.”

“Oh?”

“I have enough pull in Industrial Illusions that I can make it an official Duel Monsters tournament, one that will not have the same secrecy and...bad publicity...that Duelist Kingdom had. All I ask is that, as one rule, you have the Duelists put up a valued card as entry.”

Kaiba frowned, looking at her. “Why?”

“All Duelists on a high level have at least one card that’s worth a great deal,” Hinagata pointed out, as if getting Ishizu’s point, “and you were thinking of what to do with Alcatraz. If you hold a big, final battle there, it will not only overshadow all that Gozaburo was doing, but also show a very final move towards technology and games, instead of weapons. Not to mention, I’m guessing the person who wins will probably end up with all three God cards.”

Ishizu nodded. “That person will control the Pharaoh’s fate, ultimately, since the person who commissioned their creation poured the power of the Shadows into them.” She looked up. “I can tell you their names, and their representations, as well as a bit about the man who holds two. But I can’t tell you everything. I don’t have all the answers, even with my ability to see into the future.”

Kaiba finally nodded, Ishizu saying, “The three are all considered God Cards, and are, in order of power and abilities - the God Obelisk, the God Osiris, and the God Ra. Each represent a duality - light and dark, life and death, heaven and earth. Of the three, Obelisk is powerful and can kill in a single blow, if given sacrifices. Osiris is powerful based on what the wielder controls, and can drain the power of other monsters held by your opponent. Ra is the hardest to summon, and will not give it’s power easily to anyone.” She looked over at Kaiba. “If you do what I ask, about the tournament, I can give you the one God Card I have. You will have to win the others during the tournament.” She reached into a pocket, producing the blue-tinted card. Kaiba could all but _feel_ the Shadows rolling around it, and frowned for a moment before saying, “I do this...and win back the cards, let’s say. Then what?”

“Then you will have won,” she told him simply, “I cannot see that far into the future. There are too many variants, meaning that it is up to you and the one who holds the Millennium Puzzle to decide.”

Hinagata looks upset at the idea, but Kaiba only nods. At least, in this, he knows someone or something isn’t attempting to manipulate his fate.

“I will hold the tournament soon. There is some preparation to do before that, and I have to test out the game system I will be using.” The final Duel Disk system was almost ready, and Kaiba wanted to test out the God Card’s qualities before he went into a series of Duels. Not to mention he had to clear a few things with Domino, but he didn’t doubt they would deny him a tournament.

Ishizu nodded her understanding, and seemed pleased with his answer. “Thank you for taking my request, Mr. Kaiba. I wish you well in your journey.”

\--

Ishizu waited until Kaiba was gone before letting out a breath. “You can come out now. I know you were watching.”

The shadows parted as the woman stepped out of them, her dark hair tied back in a long braid, her eyes golden like a lion’s, and her clothing similar to what she’d worn years ago, when Ishizu had first seen her in a vision the Tauk gave her. “You shouldn’t sound so upset. I haven’t pressured you into anything.”

“As you say, but I am tired of being a pawn in the fight between you and the descendants from the other side of the Valley. I have lost enough in your battle.”

The woman crossed her arms. “I’m not using you as a pawn, nor am I pressuring you into anything. I told you something, and left you to verify it on your own. And your father chose his end, so you cannot blame me or Shadii for that.”

Ishizu glared at the woman, then looked away. “My family has been mistreated. I would think I’m allowed to be angry about it, so long as I don’t use the Shadows for my own gain.”

The woman was quiet a long moment. “The Shadows understand your loss, but since you are acting as a counter to your brother, then you cannot have access to them easily. I understand the pain of having a family being used in such a way, which is why I protested and fought all those millennia ago. But now, when we are this close, I cannot do anything but see it through. My star is nearly at his zenith, and that only means that he will soon reappear and decide his fate.”

Ishizu cannot fault the woman her faith in the one she calls her ‘star’ - Ishizu is here to save her brother from what dark fate awaits him, and to atone for all that her family might have done. She knows that what she said will convince Kaiba to run the tournament, and also knows that her place there is already foreseen.

_I will battle Kaiba, and he will choose between the power I have given him, or the one he created on his own._

\--

The only good thing about accepting the request to host a tournament and work on capturing the Ghouls that would infiltrate the city to gain rare Duel Monsters cards is that Mokuba is speaking to him again. Telling Mokuba about what happened was not something that Kaiba wanted to do, but he knew he had to, since his brother would ultimately attempt to draw him and Jounouchi together again.

Mokuba had thrown a tantrum and refused to speak to Kaiba until he apologized to Jounouchi, something Kaiba wasn’t about to do when he had been within his rights to question her sanity. Jounouchi was going to throw herself headlong into danger no matter what he said, and more importantly, Kaiba had no reason to be involved with her beyond the help he’d given her sister to repay her helping Mokuba during Battle City, and again during the Virtual World. She was a third rate Duelist at best, and only lucky with that Red Eyes Black Dragon she’d gotten, or the Time Wizard he’d learned she’d used to gain said Red-Eyes. Even if she wasn’t a rank-amateur at Dueling, Kaiba wouldn’t be bothered with her in the way Mokuba wants him to be. He knows the type of person he must marry and have children with, and that is not Jounouchi. She’s far too distracting anyway, if the dreams he’d been having about her (pleasant or otherwise) are anything to go by.

Mokuba is with Hinagata as Kaiba tests out the Duel Disk system, as well as the God Card he’d received from Ishizu Ishtar. A part of him is wary of the woman - she’d only appeared recently, and had risen to a position of power mostly by the fact that she knew where some of the finds she protected were, as well as her helping the Egyptian Government catch many of the Ghouls that attempted to take the treasure as well.

_They live up to their chosen name - ravagers of the dead who live in graveyards and steal from those that had died._

Kaiba shifted as the Duel started, the holograms projecting out only a bit from his own system and showing the cards he’d placed, either face down if they were hidden and he hadn’t dedicated them to defense, or face up if he had. He’d created it with the same technology he’d hoped to use against Pegasus, but in this case, the holograms and other technology allowed for the field to be between the two, as well as allowed for some of the effects of cards to be seen in a better light than the ones in the Duel Box he and Industrial Illusions had created. With this, the Duel would feel more active, more _real_.

 _It will look like that fresco painted centuries ago, that showed us summoning monsters from some old bits of stone. Yami is part of the past, some relic that needs to find it’s place. I can win this, because this is_ my _age, not his. I won’t be taken down the same path of cruelty and danger that Gozaburo tried to send me down, or that Jounouchi is happy to head blindly along in the name of friendship. I will face the one that I consider my rival, my only rival, and defeat him. Even if that means his fate is in my hands…_

The Duel started out simply enough, but also proved why they would probably have to use the new rules that came out during the last tournament - higher level monsters, those with five stars or more, needed a sacrifice, while ones like his Blue Eyes would need at least two. It meant the game was going to be harder, and demand you spend more time figuring out ways to stall to bring out your own monster first, or getting good low-level monsters to stall.

Rebuilding his Deck after his two defeats at Duelist Kingdom had taught Kaiba that monsters with low levels but special abilities could make or break a game, even against his own Deck. The Virus combos he had still were good, but he had a variety of backups to now use, not only for the Blue Eyes, but now for the God card.

The machine summoned his Blue Eyes right away, and then the Lord of D to bolster the Blue-Eyes and make them more immune to any attack he might have.

He was not expecting the sudden arrival of all three, though, and felt himself straighten in fear as he did.

 _Stop it,_ he chided himself, relaxing as he did, _Yami faced these down without fear. Even that third-rate Duelist faced it down without fear. Getting too fearful is the only monster we have to face...I will not back down from this challenge. I will win, and I will do so by believing in my abilities, in myself._

_My deck can beat most, but it can’t beat Yami’s at this point. By seeing how this one card works against the Blue Eyes, I can figure out a strategy to have them all work together. That is what Yami does, and he is able to not only stand on his own, but work with others if needed. I need that as well. I need to know my own strengths and weaknesses, so that I can overcome them...and so I can defeat the one I call my rival._

He summoned the God of Obelisk, and the moment he did, he could _feel_ it’s presence. Most monsters, even the strong ones, he couldn’t feel the presence of. But something must have clicked, or finally come to light, and at that moment, he could feel the presence of the gigantic monster behind him, looming like the obelisks of Egypt over the sands and area they were guarding. For a moment, he could feel the malice it had before the thing quieted, instead looking to the Blue Eyes.

Kaiba could feel them as well, their presence and their understanding of what the Obelisk was and what it meant. It was odd, a feeling he couldn’t place at all, and he ignored it as he commanded Obelisk and ended the Duel. The AI dueling machine he’d created seemed to falter and spark, causing Kaiba to race over and grab his Blue Eyes deck from it right before the thing sparked one final time and fell over, appearing dead. He held his Blue Eyes deck in hand, the Obelisk behind him, and suddenly, he saw that odd monster from before, the eagle-headed lion monster that was laying in the corner, tail moving slowly like a contented cat in the sun, before two dark wings spread up from it and it disappeared.

“Nii-sama!”

“Kaiba-san, are you alright?”

Mokuba and Hinagata’s worried voice brought him back as the projection ended, and he slowly nodded, looking down at his deck and then to the one in the Duel Disk.

“How soon can we be ready for the Battle City tournament?” he asked Hinagata, getting the other man to blink in confusion.

“Pretty soon. I have a friend of mine helping out with the coding and like, but everything should be ready to go in a week and some change.”

Mokuba looked up at him happily as he announced, “Chief Itonokogiri said he’s got the help of the police and that he’s hired on some others who know about Dueling and the like to help out with policing the game and making sure we catch the cheaters. I’m helping!” Itonokogiri was their new chief of security, and while at first he hadn’t really let Mokuba help out with the security part, he’d finally resigned himself to it after Mokuba had beaten him at Capsule Monsters. Apparently, the Chief was a fan of the game, and the two ended up striking up a friendship due to that and Mokuba’s continued enjoyment of the game, as well as his ability to apply it, practically, to various puzzle areas.

“See if we can have everything ready in two weeks, then. That will give us enough time to ensure everything is set up.” It also allowed them to produce enough Duel Disks for those who were high up in the Duelist Database that had been created for tournaments and the like. Currently, only he and Yami (or, as he was registered as, Yugi) were the two highest-rated Duelists, with 8 stars. Others fell short of that, with Kujaku falling around six stars due to her wins at Duelist Kingdom, and other participants of the kingdom falling around five or lower. As it was, Insector Haga was down with only three, after his loss to Yugi so early on in Duelist Kingdom, as well as his continued losses since then. Dinosaur Ryuzaki, despite the loss of his Red Eyes to Jounouchi, was still in the running because of his own wins and the changes he at least made to his own deck. Others who hadn’t been on Duelist Kingdom were able to make the grade as well.

Jounouchi wasn’t. Even with her ‘win’ at Duelist Kingdom, she hadn’t won any official tournaments before or since then, and had been disqualified for fighting in more than a few. It only showed her hot head and her inability to do anything without Yugi or Yami’s help, as well as her bad temper and even worse background, if fighting was the only thing she could think of doing.

“Have your friend send out some invitations, in magazines and online. Invite them to the Egyptian Exhibit, but do so in a way that presents a riddle.”

Hinagata nodded, considering. “I’ll see what I can come up with. The museum’s exhibit was talking about old fights and new finds...any specific date?”

“Coordinate with Itonokogiri, and then send me the date and time. Well go there to announce the tournament a few days before it’s beginning.”

With a nod, Hinagata headed out, and Kaiba considered what he’d seen and felt.

Something was stirring, something that was using his technology, and he had to hope that it wasn’t anything that would end up being used against him, as the Duel Boxes were at Duelist Kingdom. He wasn’t about to have a tournament like that one, even if part of it was to trap the Ghouls and their Rare Hunters. At least here, the trap would result in things getting better instead of worse.

\--

Layla glanced over as the griffin returned to it’s place, letting out a breath. “Shadii didn’t know what he was doing, making those things. The Shadows are now going to awaken quite a few things that I don’t think anyone is looking for, and my star is going to notice the changes.”

A soft growl from the sphinx got Layla to frown. “Considering what Ishizu and her family has seen, I would guess that others will notice as well. Certainly that brother of hers will.” She paused and thought. “I suppose I’ll have to actually get involved in this one. I don’t think that Marik will be able to keep his mind for this one, not when he’s been taking such a dark path. And that will certainly end badly for someone.”


	2. The Wheel (Jounouchi vs Exodia Ghoul; Yami vs Exodia Ghoul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a lot of talking about Katsuye's feelings, Yugi and Yami are very much a team now, and Battle City begins with some very dangerous Duels. Also, Layla is obviously up to something...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm changing a few things because they don't fit the story's flow, or because I think there was a missed opportunity. Also because fem!Jounouchi can be very different from regular!Jounouchi.  
> I am also working on updating the chapters every other Sunday night/early Monday, though I don't know if that schedule will keep up for the next few parts. In the meantime, enjoy this chapter!

Yami had been worried about something, so the day of the non-date with Anzu left him a bit out of sorts. Yugi had agreed to go into his soul room and not listen in on anything, but that didn’t stop Yami from feeling upset over whatever odd feeling he was getting. It was low-level, like static on a radio from the other room, and he couldn’t help but try to listen to it or even hear the noise no matter where it went.

It was something to do with the Shadows, he knew that much, but was stretched and hard to really pinpoint the source. He wondered if that meant it was something else, like someone giving over power to multiple people or simply multiple people finding their own power through that medium. The Shadows have enough of a hold in Domino due to his influence and the arrival of many to this area because of him - it’s not surprising that it would take hold and begin to spread and influence others. He’s just grateful that, thus far, things haven’t turned too bad. Domino itself is peaceful and full of light, even in darker areas, so he’s hopeful that it will be enough to keep back the darker shadows before he or someone else will have to step in to tame them and pull them under control.

He meets Anzu after Yugi has dressed them in a dark outfit, one that suits both of them in their own way. Yugi had been doing that more and more, finding ways to make sure that they can look similar yet different. Yugi’s colors are always lighter, closer to blue, while Yami’s is darker, with more purples and golds. Yugi mentioned that both were considered royal colors for a long time, and Yami considers if that is simply a memory of his old self, that darker colors are his.

“Oh, Yami,” Anzu says when she sees him, smiling as she comes up, “Yugi’s sense of style is coming out a bit more. I approve.”

He manages a smile at that, grateful for the compliment to Yugi, and they head into a nearby cafe. Anzu seems to be fine with him for now, though sitting with him, it’s obvious she’s attempting to figure out where to start first on her questioning - if she wishes to dive right in or start on more neutral ground. He drinks the tea he’d gotten and finally says, “You wanted to talk about Yugi, and my intentions towards him?”

Anzu blushed a bit as she gave him a small smile. “Mostly, I wanted to talk about you. Yugi seems to know about all of the ‘intentions’ you guys have, and I would rather not start on that. Yugi’s my friend and I care a great deal for him, which is why I want to get to know you a bit better, so I know where you’re coming from.” She grew serious as she considered. “Also, considering how things started out, not to mention the thing with Pegasus and anyone else who has Millennium Items, I want to know more about that so we can be safe. I’m not going to lie - I still don’t trust you to be restrained, or for you to not get carried away in your attempts to ‘protect’ Yugi and instead end up hurting him like you did during that duel with Kaiba at Pegasus’ castle.”

Yami flinched a bit at the memory and how he’d acted. He knew now how things had looked, and even knowing his own motivations and reasons for pushing as far as he had, he could see how that would cause Anzu and the others to worry about Yugi.

“I understand the worry,” he finally said, “and I know that, at the time, I felt I was under a great deal of pressure to win and make things right. Even back then, I viewed what had happened as my fault, and wished to shield Yugi from the effects of those battles.”

“And even before that?”

Yami looked out the window, not wanting to think or even speak aloud about the time he’d not even thought of Yugi as something, when his attitude was simply that the young man would pass and Yami would have his body to merit out judgment to those that deserved it. “I was...violent, before that, and less interested in Yugi’s health than in my own...calling. I always viewed it my duty to fight the bullies and like who preyed on Yugi and on those he called his friends, but I did not think much of him. It was only right before Duelist Kingdom that I began to see how that affected our friendship, and our abilities.”

Anzu is quiet and at least doesn’t judge him over the admission as he continues, “I don’t know anything about my past, beyond a feeling or concept. I know a great deal about Egypt and the like, I can figure out what something says if I see it, but as to who I was or what happened to trap me in the Puzzle, I cannot answer that. What I have with Yugi now...I want that. I’m fine without knowing my past, but I also know that to ignore it would mean that I am opening us to danger. I cannot let that happen...I can’t let Yugi, or any of you, be put in those situations again because I was selfish, or because I didn’t learn what I should have when I had the chance.”

Anzu is silent a moment longer before she says, “You want to go to that exhibit.”

“It’s no coincidence that the curator has an item like the one I carry, or that she’s here. She is not hiding her involvement in my past, as Pegasus was. As well, I received this text a few days ago.”

Anzu took the phone when offered frowning as she read the message. “‘To the place where ancient duelists sleep’?”

“The Domino museum holds a great deal of exhibits, but the Egyptian one speaks of those who summoned monsters and fought, those that ‘dueled’ with magic, as the card game assumes we do now. It’s a challenge, sent by KaibaCorp. Kaiba is working on something.”

The conversation got Anzu to look down, and Yami frowned at her change of interest. “What?”

“Something happened...between him and Katsuye. I don’t know what, but she’s been...easily upset.”

Yami is quiet, thinking. He doesn’t know what the complicated history between the two are, beyond the fact that Kaiba doesn’t view Katsuye as a very good Duelist, and that he had been helping her in some sense of repaying off an imagined debt for helping Mokuba. Even after all that happened with Otogi and the like, he seemed to have withdrawn from them and was determined to instead focus on his work. Yami understood his reasoning, but he also wondered if this wasn’t still some part of the poisonous thoughts that had caused Kaiba to challenge him in the first place, or the ones he’d attempted to banish using the Mind Crush.

“I...forgive me. I don’t always notice things when Yugi is in charge, or vice versa. He did not mention anything to me, so I didn’t realize something had occurred.”

Anzu seems to understand, and leans back in her seat. “I don’t know what happened, but she’s gotten really upset. Plus, I think it also has to do with her sister. She hasn’t been back to see her in a while, and it’s starting to get me worried.” She considers quietly before adding, “I think if she joined the tournament, it would be good for her.”

Yami nodded after a moment. Katsuye thrived on Dueling in tournaments like this, where her gender was not always called into question or where others would stand up or need help. Whatever Kaiba was planning, she would be able to hold her own in this tournament, if not make it at least to the semi-finals.

“Yami...I understand your point of view, that you wish to protect us from the dangers there are. We saw how bad things could get during Duelist Kingdom. But you also have to believe in us and in our abilities. Katsuye is strong in her own right, but she’d gotten a lot of hand-holding from us as well, especially after what happened with that gang.” Yami looks away, not wanting to think of Hirutani or what he tried. The man was lost in the maze of his own making, lost in the Shadow Realm, which meant he wasn’t a threat to them. “Let’s go see what this all is about, then we can talk to Katsuye.”

“I would rather Yugi spoke to her,” Yami said as they got up, feeling uncomfortable. “We are not...friends, as she is with him. If anything, I think she doesn’t trust me all that much.”

Anzu didn’t comment on it, and Yami was grateful as they walked through the city, stopping occasionally to look at something that interested one or both of them. Neither were in a hurry to get to where the gathering would be, or to find out what was inside the museum. It let Yami consider the fact that he and Katsuye could work together in a Duel setting, and were united in their wish to keep Yugi safe, but she didn’t quite trust him with her full friendship. He could understand - their first few meetings had never ended well, and the ones afterwards had mostly been while he, Yugi, and Katsuye were in some sort of battle situation, or where he’d made a mistake about what she could or couldn’t do. He knew she was a great Duelist, and also knew that she had every chance of beating them if she was lucky enough. He just wished that Kaiba could see that as well, and maybe get over whatever it was that held him back from acknowledging her as a Duelist.

They reach the museum with a little over an hour and a half to spare, Yami noticing Anzu’s unease at entering and frowning as they walked up. “You’re worried about something.”

“I guess I’m worried about what the exhibit might show, and what that might mean for your future. I don’t want to see Yugi hurt if you  have to leave.”

Yami nods in acknowledgement as they head further into the museum, coming up to the stone tablets that had been found recently and that show him and Kaiba fighting before a large tower, three monsters above it and in what appears to be card barriers. The others seemed to depict a story of some sort, and he was about to turn to speak to Anzu when a familiar voice cut through the empty space.

“You’ve taken your time to get here,” a cool, accented voice said as they turned to see the woman from the newspapers. “Welcome.”

“You hold an Item,” he said, glancing at the Tauk around her neck as she slowly nodded.

“Unlike the Ring, it does not hold an evil intelligence, and unlike Pegasus, I was trained in what must be given up in order to use the Shadows.” She looked at him then bowed her head slightly. “I am Ishizu Ishtar, the older of the Millennium Tauk. It was my predecessors that drew and spoke of what you see before you, your future.”

Yami frowned, but he saw that she was right. The Shadows around her were calm and didn’t move the same way that the ones that Pegasus or even the ones that Shadii had held them. He let himself relax around her, grateful to see someone who was willing to give the Shadows their due and not simply treat them as some dark tool. That seemed to get her to also relax as Anzu watched quietly, looking nervous.

“What does the upcoming battle have to do with me?” Yami asked, frowning as he looked at Ishizu critically.

“The battle will be for your lost memories. There are three items, three cards that will hold the key to your ability to regain your memories and choose your own fate. Whoever wins will gain power over that fate, and what happens to you in the future.”

Yami tensed at the announcement, anger bubbling up as well as fear and resentment. He saw no reason why his fate, and thus the fates of those whom he befriended or even those he saw as rivals, should be so easily bartered. He turned to look back at the mural, working to collect his thoughts as Ishizu continued. “Those who hold Millennium Items are coming more and more to this place, and their powers are either bowing to you, remaining with them, or shifting against you and waiting for a new chance to strike. The holder of the final Millennium Item is coming here, and with him, a great deal of danger towards you. If you gain the power of the three God Cards, you can gain the power of the Items, and thus hold your own fate.”

He didn’t ask what would happen if he didn’t, and instead looked up. “Three God Cards, you said.”

“Yes. They are imbued with the powers of the Shadows, and have begun to spread them more and more around the city. Soon, others will notice small things, or be able to do things they never thought possible.”

Yami turned to look at her, upset with the revelation. “That could cause more than a few problems.”

“The focus is on the cards, and thus on that game only. However, that doesn’t mean that there won’t be trials.” She paused, looking sad suddenly. “The Tauk can see some of the past, but mostly grants it’s holder visions of the future. I am sorry I cannot help you more on your journey, except to say that you must enter the game, and be prepared for the worse.”

\--

Anzu can tell that Yami is still angry as they get outside, the other Duelists that look familiar starting to gather outside. Yami and she move to one side, Anzu silent and not sure what to say about the news that the woman has given them.

 _Yugi’s going to be heartbroken_ , is all she can think about the news. Yugi will not take the news easily, not when they just started their relationship, and while Yami dislikes the corner he’s been placed in, Anzu can tell that he’s going to go through with the tournament.

“Anzu,” Yami’s voice breaks through her thoughts and she looks over at him as he watches the crowd gathering, “I want to speak to Yugi about this myself. Could you do your best to not mention the meeting to him?”

“I...yes, but…”

“He is aware of my emotions, as I am of his,” Yami told her simply, “He’ll know that I am hiding something, or that I’m...upset...over what happened. But I also know he will view this as something that could end up with us being separated. I don’t think that will happen at this moment.”

Anzu blinked. “Why?”

“I have told Yugi that I know some of Egyptian rites - as such, I know I am not the full soul of who I once was. I am a shadow of that person, and while powerful, I was only that for a long time. Since then, I have gained more and more things for myself - a name, an identity - and that makes it so I am not the same man I once was. No matter what the outcome, I am fighting so I can have my own fate, and so I can rid myself of the rest of my past. That person...who I was, the person who trapped themselves in the Millennium Puzzle...they need to be at peace and rest. I need to prove that I am my own person, and not a shadow. Yugi will prove himself as well, I think, and no matter what else, we _need_ to do that. Too many view us as the same when we aren’t, or view me as the one they must beat, when together, Yugi and I are the ones who have beaten the foes we come across.” He’s quiet again as Anzu considers what he said.

_He has grown, since I first met him, and since Pegasus’ challenge. He and Yugi are partners now. Whatever happens, they’ll be equals._

She didn’t know how she knew - probably some of the Shadows that Ishizu had said was leaking out or something - only that she realized quickly that Yami was going to care for Yugi. He was going to be a better person, and that even with the memories of his past, he would stay with Yugi for a long as he was needed.

“Yugi! Masaki!” the familiar voice had them both turn, brought out of their thoughts as Mai runs up to join them, smiling as she does. Anzu smiles back at the older woman, grateful for her presence and that she’s not asking too many questions.

“You got one of the invitations as well?” Yami asked, looking happy at the news.

“Yep,” she says happily, showing it off, “though a lot of the people here haven’t, they came because they heard rumors or something.” She let out a huff. “I hope they can get in, at least.”

“Why do you say that?” Anzu asked, curious.

“Most of the ranking was done by ranking that a Duelist network sets up. It’s all based on tournament results, including Pegasus’, but that doesn’t mean all the people here are really all that good.” She motioned to one of the guys nearby, talking to a few others. “He loses a lot of Duels, but he made it pretty far in Pegasus’ kingdom. That’s the only reason he got in and Haga didn’t.”

Yami frowned as Mai added, “I tried to get hold of Katsuye, but she didn’t want to come. What happened, exactly? She and Kaiba were getting along really well.” She pulled out her phone, showing Anzu a picture of Katsuye in a blue dress, dancing stiffly with Kaiba. Anzu and Yami looked at it as Yami frowned, obviously upset that he didn’t know the two had been close. Anzu was a bit confused as well - when did those two become close?

“Mokuba said that they knew each other a while back. He was all happy about it when they were able to dance.” Mai smiled as she took the phone back. “I was too...got introduced to a really nice guy. Hopefully I can have my own cheer-squad now.” She winked at Anzu as the younger girl felt herself blush.

“I’m glad you’re here, and hopefully we can get enough information so Jounouchi is able to register,” Yami said, looking around as a car stopped at the curb, Kaiba stepping out in a new coat that made Anzu’s breath catch.

It was the same coat as the one in the mural - the white coat over the dark shirt. Anzu knew that Yugi’s own coat and outfit would be the same dark outfit he’s wearing now, and the purple coat he favors.

In other words, they will look like the two fighting in the mural, the Blue Eyes and Dark Magician that they favored coming out at one point to do battle.

_It’s already happening. No matter what we do, the battle for his fate, and his memories, has already begun._

\--

“An ante rule?” Katsuye asked the next day during lunch, as the group met on the top of the school.

“Your Deck has to have at least one Rare card, and you have to use that as your ante. The rarest one is what goes up first, from what I remember,” Anzu told her, leaning slightly against the fence. “Plus, we have to get a Duel Disk from one of the card shops around town.”

Katsuye looked unhappy at the announcement, Yugi smiling at her to try to reassure her. “Yami and I don’t like betting cards either, but I know that you’re going to make it to the finals again! You’re a great Duelist, Katsuye. You probably are already qualified to be in the tournament anyway.”

Katsuye is silent at that, Honda finally saying, “Besides, I’m going to be working security there. KaibaCorp is really strict about who gets in and who doesn’t.”

“You’re not making me feel any better, Honda,” Katsuye said, “and I know Kaiba. He probably banned me personally.”

Anzu frowned at the mention. “Why do you say that? He’s not the nicest person around, but he wouldn’t ban you.”

“Yeah, he would. I’m not a good Duelist in his eyes, remember? I’m just a hanger-on, going blinding around with Yugi because I don’t have anything else better to do.”

Yugi looked upset over that, Anzu shifting and Honda letting out a sigh, as if he had dealt with this type of thing before. The two looked over at him as Bakura arrived, frowning at whatever was going on. Anzu moved to explain it to him as Honda said, “Don’t tell me you messed up with some other guy you liked.”

Katsuye bristled and glared at him as Anzu glared at him, upset with his tone and what he’d said as Honda glared back at her, not backing down. “You can say whatever you want about Yugi, I’m allowed to say what I mean about Jounouchi.” He glanced back at her, “You act this way whenever some guy points out you’re not the type of one he wants, or when they finally tell you that you’re not relationship material. You knew going in that Kaiba wasn’t about to take you up as a date, let alone that he’d be _nice_ to you. I’m kinda amazed it took him so long to get around to telling you anything.”

“Honda!” Bakura said, sounding upset, as Katsuye finally stood up, glaring at him and shaking slighlty as her hands balled up into fists. Yugi looked ready to comfort her right before she let out a breath and looked away from Honda.

“You would take your employer’s side. You learn to brown-nose like that from Otogi?”

Honda turned red and suddenly stiffened, angry. “The hell does that have to do with anything?”

She didn’t look back at him instead shifting to cross her arms. “You brought up Kaiba when the only thing we’ve been talking about is the fact he’s got some tournament on and that he thinks I’m a bad Duelist. And Yugi said they were using the Duelist Database...that’s guaranteed to have me out of the game.”

“What?” Yugi asked, and she looked at him, frowning.

“I lost multiple games and got kicked out of simple neighborhood games, Yugi, remember? Even if I won during Duelist Kingdom, I’m not going to have a good score.” She finally turned back to Honda. “So stop thinking this is about some unrequited love just ‘cause Otogi hasn’t given you the time of day since you were stupid enough to fall for his shell games, you asshole. And stop defending your employer just ‘cause you happen to have a job as security for this particular tournament.”

Honda was still red, though it was hard to tell if it was from anger or embarrassment, and he finally stalked away, leaving the group to glance over at Katsuye nervously. She’d stopped dressing like a girl recently, exploiting one of the loopholes in the dress code, and it was obvious she was less and less able to hold in her sometimes volatile temper. The only person who really calmed her down was Yugi, but he had yet to find out what Kaiba had done and what had happened. At the same time, he knew it was more than just Kaiba that had her acting the way she did, and he was worried that it would end up with her being hurt.

“I saw a place where we might be able to get the Duel Disks,” he finally said to her, “apparently only the specialty Duel Monsters card shops have them. And maybe you being runner up for Duelist Kingdom will still qualify you...Mai’s qualified, and she really wants to see you there.”

Katsuye is silent a moment longer before relaxing, as if the mention of Mai and everything else was enough to calm her down. “Ok...I don’t see why we can’t try.”

\--

Layla ended up coming with them, as apparently she was worried about Katsuye and whatever had happened. Bakura seemed uneasy around her, but that was understandable, since the first few times they’d met, Layla had been either pounding on his door or being overly enthusiastic about Egyptian games. Still, she was one of the calming influences on Katsuye, and by the time they got to the place that Anzu and Yami had visited during their non-date, Katsuye was back to her old, happier self as they entered the store, the clerk someone different from the day before.

“Welcome,” he said, “what can I help you with?”

“We’re here to sign up for the KaibaCorp tournament,” Yugi said, “and to get the new Duel Disk.”

“Oh, you’re in luck,” the man said, “I have about five left...we’ve been busy with some of the Duelists coming in all day and registering. If I can get your names, I can see if you qualify.”

Katsuye shifted a bit as the two gave their names, the man typing in Yugi’s first before saying, “Well, you’ve qualified by quite a bit!” he showed them the Duelist Database, the Dark Magician to one side and Yugi’s photo to the other, with a star rating underneath, similar to the star one used for Duel Monsters. Yugi has eight, one of the highest ranking for Duel Monsters, and he looks shy about it as well as a little upset as the man hands over a Duel Disk. “Here you go, you’re qualified to enter. We got a memo saying that only those with ranks above five stars can enter the tournament, and right now they’re the only ones who can get the Duel Disks.”

Yugi takes it almost reluctantly but still manages as smile as the man types in Katsuye’s name, frowning as he looks at it. “It looks like you have...well, hold on, there seems to be a glitch…” Laya frowns at him as he types a bit more before smiling at Katsuye. “You just qualified - five stars.”

“Seriously?” Katsuye looks at the screen, where a rather sullen picture of her from an early tournament she enters glared back at them, the red-eyes roaring next to her. She suddenly beams as the guy hands her the Duel Disk and nearly lets out a cheer of delight. Layla smiles and it appears Katsuye’s mood is infectious, as Anzu and Bakura are also smiling with her and her accomplishment.

The group finally parts as Yugi and Katsuye head to his house to look over their decks and figure out the Duel Disk system, the others going home. It’s not until they’re far enough away and closer to his house that Yugi finally asks, “What happened, Katsuye?”

She’s quiet, her mood turning dark as he adds, “I don’t need to hear it all, but I know something happened between you and Shizuka.”

“You’re not going to ask about me and Kaiba?”

“No,” he says simply, “that’s between you two, and either way, if he’s going to try so hard to not be friends with you when it’s obvious he is, then he’s an idiot. But whatever happened between you and Shizuka, or you and your mother, is really affecting you.”

Katsuye sighs, looking over at him and then back as they walked down the way. “Mom said I couldn’t see Shizuka again, and that I’m a bad influence on her. This was after Shizuka said she wasn’t ready to take the bandages off and after Mom tries to force her into taking them off. Kaiba saw the whole thing, and I haven’t been back since. I don’t want to upset Shizuka, and I’m tired of dealing with Mom.” They got to Yugi’s home as Katsuye finally lets out a loud sigh. “I’d rather focus on this, or on whatever else you want to talk about. And…I want to prove myself, so that maybe Shizuka can believe in herself as well.”

Yugi doesn’t bring it up again, instead helping her focus on her cards and the Duels. He smiles as he says, “Even if you manage to lose the Red Eyes, Time Wizard is an equally valuable card and it works well for your new Deck.” He paused as he looked through a great deal of the cards, frowning. “You’re focusing a lot on warriors and gamble cards.”

“My luck’s turning around, I guess, and Duel Monsters tends to be one of the few places I can gamble without loosing too badly,” she pointed out, “plus, if I just ran a warrior deck, that’d be stupid.”

“True. A balanced Deck is better than some of the themed ones.” He frowns at one. “Fulgara?”

“Yeah, Layla got it for me a few days ago. Apparently this is the female version of Gilford the Lightning...just as powerful, only it’s a female warrior.” Katsuye smiled. “I like it.”

“Wow, I think if they’d known, this one would’ve gone up to the top...Fulgara is a really rare card.”

“Rarer than the Red Eyes?”

“...Well, no, but she is more versatile and powerful. I’m glad Layla was able to get her - it’s a good card for your Deck.” He showed off his happily. “This is the one that Yami and I put together, and it has all our strengths in it.” He’s quiet a moment longer. “We want to enter the tournament as a team, until the day we can enter it on our own and face each other. I keep hoping that’s soon, but I’m also afraid of what that might entail. And...I think that he’s worried over something that happened during his day with Anzu.”

“Something like what?” Katsuye asked, putting her own deck away.

“I’m not sure. It’s nothing to do with anything between us, but more what might have happened at one point in the day. He’s...upset, but he’s also sad and afraid of what’s to come. He isn’t sure how much he can tell me, only that he’ll do all he can to protect us.”

Katsuye let out a sigh, looking upset at the mention and finally saying, “I don’t need protection, Yugi. Everyone seems to think that, and I don’t. I don’t need my mom telling me what people think of me, I don’t need my dad telling me to live however I want and still worrying about me, and I don’t need him to act like he’s going to be my knight in shining armor or take on Kaiba or whatever. I haven’t needed that since Duelist Kingdom, even before that.” She shrugged. “I know I needed help with Hirutani, and I know that sometimes I do need help or for someone to rescue me, but I can’t have that all the time, Yugi. I have to do stuff on my own and not just have people act like I don’t know what I’m doing, or that I’m not capable of dealing with any of the dangers there are.” She glanced up at him. “Whatever Yami is doing, he’s been good to you, and he’s not about to let anything bad happen to you. I don’t like him as much as I like you, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be on his side for making sure you’re safe.”

Yugi smiled at that and they quickly set up looking over the Duel Disk. It was simple and easy to operate, luckily, so they quickly reboxed the item before Katsuye headed out, calling Layla first to let her know she was heading home.

The sky was already darkening as Katsuye headed home, taking the familiar shortcuts she’d gotten used to after nearly a year of working in the Kame Game Shop after she befriended Yugi.

When a group of three people suddenly step out, she stops quickly, glaring as she recognizes the man from the card shop. He smirks at her as he reveals his own Duel Disk, and she snorts. “Lemme guess...not Level 5?”

“Your Red-Eyes Black Dragon will make up for it, I’m sure. We have someone in our group in need of just that card, and others as well, after we replicate it.”

“You’ll need to get it first,” she pointed out, “It’s not time for the tournament yet, and I’m not staying here to take on some punks like you.” She turned, stopping when three other, tall men in cloaks came out of the other alleyway.

“You don’t Duel, we’ll just have to take it by force.”

“You’re right,” she said, putting her Duel Disk down and half turning so she could look at him out of the corner of her eye, seeing the other two advance at the same time as the other three. She wasn’t used to fighting by herself, or in a small alley, but she knew enough that she could face down these guys, and besides, she wasn’t going to let these dressed-up punks take her cards or anything else.

The first one to try to grab her is thrown into the trash left outside, and the next is tossed into one of the others, Katsuye moving to duck and punch the second to final one in the gut before tossing him towards the store clerk that had given her the Disk, the man dodging and going after her directly. He was using what height and strength he had on her, trying to push her back or overpower her to the ground as she used every dirty trick she could to get away from him or keep him away from her.

The guy is a hard one to throw off, and his other helpers are starting to get up to help him out, Jounouchi fighting but unable to really stop all of the attacks, one hit to her side causing her to fold down to the ground as one of the men started to kick her.

“Stop,” the leader said, looking back over at them and reaching down to get out the scattered cards, smirking as he picked up the Red Eyes Black Dragon.

“Now then,” he said as she slowly lost consciousness, “that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

\--

Layla glares at the sphinx as it lets out a low whine and bares her teeth at her, finally shifting underneath the continued look as the griffin let out its own sound before heading out and into the shadows. She rolled her eyes at them both. Katsuye wasn’t too badly hurt, and the fact was that Katsuye was far too connected to her star and to the little star that her Pharaoh loved now.

The thought made her sigh and frown as the chimera, her oldest shadow, rubbed its lion’s head against her affectionately, the others making soothing sounds as she moves to where she can check on Katsuye without alerting the other girl to her presence. Of the group, Katsuye was the closest to how she’d been, and was possibly the person who could most influence her star to accept his fate and to work in order to understand his past and, then, to give himself peace. As it was, his new identity meant that his power would be different, as would his fate. She was fine with that, so long as the fate of the one she’d known was not thrown away like Shadii and the others wanted it to be.

The chimera, Merew, let out a low growl and she looked over to see her other two returning, Itert the griffin looking upset and Menw, the sphinx that had bonded with Katsuye to a degree, shifting and looking upset.

“She’ll be fine,” Layla told them, “we have more important things to deal with, and you know that.”

Menw let out another whine and Layla looked back, letting out a sigh. “I suppose I should come looking for her. I cannot be too involved in this. I’m not showing my hand just yet, and especially not when Shadii will likely return to try to direct the Ishtars as he did before.”

Itert let out a low growl and she glanced at him before finally nodding. “Go then, and do what you can to protect this tournament. I’ll do what I can to care for Katsuye until the time when she faces down the evil coming to this place.”

\--

Yugi wakes early to make sure everything is ready, dressing up in an outfit that he found comfortable and with Yami only asking for a few things, making it so the dark clothing and jewelry was comfortable for them both. Yugi knew that Yami was worried about something - last night he’d been restless and now, he appeared tired, even for a spirit, and seemed fine with Yugi taking the lead for the first part of the tournament.

“ _Something is coming, Yugi, and it will change how we are,_ ” he tells him as they get the Duel Disk and put in his Deck. “ _Whatever happened, the Shadows are spread through this tournament and will start to affect a few people. Not only that…_ ” he paused, letting out a breath, “ _I felt something...like the one who spoke to you during the fire. Whoever that person is, she is not the woman from the paper, nor is she the dark Shadow that I fear is coming to Domino. I also know she is not a holder of the Millennium Items._ ”

“Then...who is she?”

“ _I don’t know. But I have felt her before...when we faced Shadii, and when we were leaving Duelist Kingdom. I don’t know her influence or plans, only that she is not interfering or doing anything beyond fighting Shadii’s influence. We have to be careful about that. She is powerful, and I feel she will be a far greater threat to us than anything else we face here._ ”

Yugi looked at himself in the mirror, seeing Yami standing next to him, a shadow of himself. It was how they saw each other, now that they’d practiced and with Yugi now used to speaking to his other self. Yugi could, in some cases, control or use the Shadows as well, but not as well as Yami could. Still, their decision to go into this together, to be a team instead of one or the other controlling the outcome, meant that they needed to be able to watch and help the other out, and that they trusted the other’s decisions.

Yugi knew that Yami would be doing the majority of Duels, because of the low-level buildup of the Shadows in Domino. He was fine with that, wanting to help and analyze the situation so Yami wouldn’t have to panic or worry. Yami knew he wouldn’t have to - Yugi and he both were good at seeing how things might go from afar or during a heated battle, and Yugi had the confidence now to speak up or use his own powers if needed. For that, Yami was grateful, though he hated that Yugi had to suffer hardships, and that many of those had been because of him or even at his own hands.

“We need to get going, if we’re going to meet Katsuye and Mai there. I wanna meet this strange guy that Mai mentioned.”

Yami gave him a small smile before disappearing back to the corner of their mind, Yugi rushing out to the main plaza where Kaiba had announced the tournament would start. He was about a half hour early, but already Duelists were gathering up, as were some of the security staff for the tournament and others. Most were giving out pamphlets and maps for how far the ‘city’ extended, locations of the main tents for medical assistance, and how to contact the various security members that were around. He didn’t see Honda, but he did see Mai as she rode up on the back of a dark motorcycle, a man with unruly brown hair and only goggles smiling as he gave her a kiss. “You want me to come with you, Mai?” he asked, his voice accented.

“I’m good,” she said, “but if you could, go and see about getting that one person we talked about. I want her to watch us kick everyone’s ass and come on out top.”

He smiled at that and nodded, “I’ll find her and head into the city when it starts, then. All the luck, Mai.” He rode off with various others who had dropped off their friends or loved ones, and as Mai approached, Yugi felt his other self on alert, as if something was making him worried.

“what is it?” he whispered before Mai got too close, glancing as his other self appeared in his shadow form. Only Yugi could see it, but that still meant he was worried.

“ _Something...familiar, but it’s angry. The shadows are already reacting to things._ ”

“Yugi,” Mai said, smiling and looking him over. “Oh, not your ‘other self’ huh?”

“He’s here, but he wanted to rest up before the Duel,” Yugi told her as she smiled at him.

“Well, I look forward to maybe going at him this time. You were good, and I would appreciate a rematch, but...well, if I face him as well, then at least I’ll have an idea of who I’m fighting.”

Yugi gave her a smile. “We’re partners, at the moment. If you fight him, it’s the same as me, and vice versa. Though I’ll tell him what you said.”

She chuckled a bit. “I’d say that’s cheating, but I’m not one to talk. I gave up the aromatactics for this.” She looked around, frowning as they heard a small fight break out between Haga, who appeared upset he wasn’t allowed into the Duel, and Ryuzaki, who had gotten in. Mako was there as well, being overly enthusiastic or something, and the two avoided it as Yugi finally asked, “Mai, have you seen Katsuye?”  
“Not recently. Why?” She smiled at him, “She can hold her own, Yugi.”

“It’s not that. I’m just worried she’d late. She made it into the tournament, but she’s been upset over something.” He didn’t mention it was about whatever Kaiba and Katsuye’s mother had said to her, something that obviously made his friend go from being somewhat feminine to being completely masculine, as if trying to hide that she was a girl and, to some, would be considered weak. Not to mention what Honda had said the day before this tournament. “I want to make sure she’s ok, since I don’t think we can really take the same route to the finals in this tournament. I don’t like that she’s undermined by me being there, or that they only see her as part of my group.”  
Mai seemed to understand his worry. “She’ll be fine in this. She was able to deal with people on her own, and this will only help her show Kaiba that she _is_ a good Duelist and he needs to pull his head out of his ass.”

He frowned, looking at her, and she let out a sigh. “I was able to go talk to her sister about a few things, and the hospital staff. Let’s just say that if she doesn’t take down Kaiba, _I_ will.”

“And you’re not going to tell me?”

She gave him a pointed look as he blushed, realizing what the problem is. “You’re worried that Yami will...do something drastic, and this time I won’t stop him.”

“That, plus I found out by going behind Katsuye’s back only after Mokuba called in tears. So I’m invested because that cutie-pie wants me to be. You’re Katsuye’s best friend - me telling you and your other half is cheating.”

“ _That makes no sense._ ”

Yugi looked over at her and Mai groaned. “Look, Kaiba was a jerk to her, and at a time when she needed someone to listen, not to kick her while she was down. You have your own reason to fight Kaiba, and now I have mine. If you tell her…”

“I won’t,” Yugi said, “I’m just...confused.”

“...about?”

“About Katsuye and Kaiba. They’re just...um...friends, right?”

Mai gave him a look that said he was very slow in this case. Yami and he suddenly came to realization just as they heard a rather loud curse from nearby and turned, looking to see Katsuye standing in front of a man sitting at a cafe.

The same man who had sold them the Duel Disks.

“Don’t start a scene now,” the man said, standing, “I wouldn’t want them to know you’re in _illegally_ , now would you?”

Yugi and Mai raced up as the timer begin to count down to the start of the Duel, a crowd gathering to look at her and the guy as she said, “I’m fine with that so long as the rest of them know you’re a Rare Hunter who’s ready to beat up some girl in an alley just for her Duel Monsters card!”

Yugi blinked and looked over at the guy as he tried to shift, looking around as the group, even Ryuzaki, closed in on him. Yugi felt Yami’s anger in the back of his mind, and he looked down at the pamphlet as the guy tried to call Katsuye a liar.

On it was a simple warning, about those who stole or argued over Rare Cards, and between it, nearly invisible if you didn’t have it near your Duel Disk, the pamphlet also talked about a group called the ‘Rare Hunters’.

_The group is part of the Ghouls, and we will do our best to arrest them, but there is no guarantee that they won’t attack you physically to take the most valuable or rare card. Plain clothes police are around, and the Duel Disk operates to tell who has copied or invalid cards in their Deck. Help us catch this threat._

“ _Kaiba is using Duelists as bait, but I think there’s another reason as well_ ,” Yami said as they finally strode forward, “ _And he attacked Katsuye before the tournament. There’s no telling how many others were attacked last night either._ ”

Apparently there was, since most of the group were now calling for their friends or noticing absences, and ganging up around a few others that were in the area and with similar computers and stats as the one Katsuye was glaring at.

“I’m challenging you to a Duel!” Katsuye growled at the man, who laughed.

“I’m not accepting. You didn’t accept the easy way out last night, what makes you think you can beat me without your best monster?”

“The rarest monsters aren’t always the best,” Yugi said, stepping up next to Katsuye, “and if you’re such a coward, then face me.”

“Yugi,” Katsuye started, but he shook his head.

“He took your card and now he’s trying to hide from what he’d done. We’re not going to stand for that.” He glanced over at her, noting the Duel Disk and tournament items she had already. “Besides, even if he does try to throw you out, you’re already in the system.”

“You aren’t giving me a reason to not kick this guy’s ass.”

“He’s a Rare Hunter,” Yugi said, “and he’s not going to play fair. And, unless you grabbed another card to replace the Red-Eyes, you only have 39 cards in your Deck.”

Katsuye let out a low curse as Yugi drew out a few spare cards he’d brought, smiling at her. “Figure out the best ones to add in, and let me deal with him. I’m not doing this to protect your honor, Katsuye. I’m doing this to force his hand.”

The moment he turned back to the man, Yami took over, glaring at the man. “So, coward...are you going to face me and ante up the Red Eyes for my Dark Magician, or are you going to face Jounouchi and her Time Wizard?”

The man glanced at Katsuye, who had gone through the cards and selected a few to augment her Deck before handing the rest back, then back to Yami before saying, “Taking you down is a priority, according to our boss. I’ll take you on, Yugi Muto.”

\--

Nine in the morning fell quickly, the Rare Hunter and his group surrounded and either taken out by security for  not having a legal Deck, or facing off against one Duelist or another as the first Duels of the tournament. Katsuye stood next to Mai, watching Yami as the Duel started and wincing still from the fight last night. She hated that the bastard hadn’t chosen to Duel her, and some part of her knew that Yami and Yugi weren’t thinking her weak for not being chosen as the Duelist in this case either.

The card had said what they were, and enough of the other Duelists who’d gotten attacked were also remaking their Decks and struggling to get back into the tournament, with a few having to hand back their Duel Disks when they couldn’t. It only showed that, at least, she hadn’t been the only one attacked or forced into the tournament because of a rare card.

The Duels also gave others time to watch how the Duel Disks worked, as well as read through the rules. The fact that everyone had a virtual ‘piece’ of a puzzle to add up to a location, and you needed six unique pieces, only meant that you had to pick and choose who you fought and hope for the best. It also meant that there would be more battles than in Duelist Kingdom - you couldn’t be certain who had what piece you wanted, so you had to Duel various people. It was meant not only for endurance, but also to take up most of the day, with the semi-finals and finals occurring late night and then into the next day.

At least unlike Duelist Kingdom, you were in an area that would give you discounts and the like for food and such. The only rule was you couldn’t go into a card-shop - any Duel Monsters cards you got you had to either have on you before the tournament, or get during antes or trades in the tournament itself. If you had two Decks, it didn’t matter - you played with one, since the Duel Disk only held enough for 40 cards, and it knew which cards were in the Deck. You had to ante a monster from the Deck, so your rarest monster had to be played during that Duel.

 _If he can do one thing, it’s write rules for how things are supposed to work_ , she thought bitterly as Yami and the clerk Dueled, Yami watching a bit before smirking. “I see...I know exactly what you’re doing.”

“You’re bluffing,” the clerk said from behind the two wall monsters he had, Yami’s smirk showing his confidence in what he knew.

“I won’t let you summon Exodia.”

 _And the bastard_ would _have that type of Deck_ , Katsuye thought as Mai looked a bit surprised but also pretty amazed at Yami’s abilities. Katsuye wasn’t - if what she thought was true, he and Yugi were working together, and that was going to make them an even stronger Duelist to go against. Yami was cocky and took a lot of risks, but Yugi knew the game inside and out, and had been playing it since the first rules cards came out and since the first, somewhat broken rules came out. This one, which were more streamlined as far as tournament rules, also was one that was easy enough to follow and allowed for better and longer fights, or for ones to be short and sweet.

Like this one. Yami looked at his cards after drawing, smirked, and attacked one of the wall monsters before playing two more cards and ending his turn. The clerk looked triumphant as he started to draw, but Yami instead used that phase to activate a spell card he’d recently gotten, Lightforce Sword, and then the next card as one of the Hands of Exodia appeared.

“Chain Destruction means that your Deck is destroyed - without a limb, you cannot summon Exodia.”

The clerk was shaking, the other Rare Hunters who’d been brought into Duels also failing against their own challenges, right before the clerk let out a sudden horrified scream, the others following as they lost and something seeming to swell up on their forehead, pulsing and pushing  under his skin like something was trying to get out.

“What the hell?” a few people said, others calling for medics and Katsuye walking up, seeing the same type of weird eye that the Puzzle had as the man muttered, “He’s here...Master...Marik.”

The man’s eyes went blank as the others fell down, the medics racing over as the one still standing let out a horrible, fake-sounding laugh.

“Yugi...I’ve heard so much about you.”

“Who are you?” Yami demanded, glaring at him as the man moves unnaturally, as if being pushed more than doing anything of his own will.

“I’m a holder of a Millennium Item,” the hollow voice of the clerk answered, “My name is Marik, and I hold the Millennium Rod. It’s the second most strongest of the Items, I’m told, which is why I’m able to control this puppet from so far away. Would you like to see him dance?”

Yami looked suddenly very upset, and she could guess why. He’d been like this about Pegasus as well, when it came to those that ‘abused’ the power of the Shadows. She also guessed it reminded him too much of his old self, the one that hid and punished people and who’d frightened Yugi so often. She spoke up instead, hoping to get the person’s attention away from Yami and Yugi.

_I can’t let them be hurt again._

The memory of what Kaiba said, that she didn’t know the true horror of the Items because she’d never been at the recieving end, echoed in her mind as she glared the clerk down. She might not have been at that end, but she’d seen Kaiba’s blank eyes, she’d seen Mokuba when he was hurt and scared, and she’d faced down both the spirit of the Ring and the soulless zombie that Shadii had made from a kind professor. She knew the risks. She knew what she was getting into, and she wasn’t going to let Yugi and Yami shoulder all of the burden just because Kaiba thought she didn’t understand the risks when they were right there, talking to them through a man that had attacked her with his lackeys and taken a card she’d prided herself on getting.

“Why the hell are you here? Aren’t there better ways to get a freakin’ rare card?”

Yami looked afraid suddenly, but she didn’t think about it as the puppet turned to her and Marik had it give out the hollow laugh again.

“Not just any card...the three God Cards, which hold power over the fate of the holder of the Millennium Puzzle. We have two already, but the final one is in the hands of a Duelist in this tournament. Yugi...despite your skill, you will fail when you meet our Hunters, and especially when you face down our God Card.”

Yami is quiet, then smirks, his cocky side appearing. “We’ll have to see about that. I don’t intend to lose to someone like you or your Hunters, and my fate is my own.”

“We shall see about that.” The clerk finally fell down, out cold, as Yami walked up and took out his Deck, looking upset over it before he pulled out the card he’d been looking for. His Duel Disk beeped, confirming that he’d gotten a new piece, and he turned back to Katsuye. Most of the group had scattered to do their own Duels, Mai included, leaving only Katsuye and Yugi in the plaza. The other Rare Hunters were being loaded into ambulances, the medics coming over to check on the unconscious clerk.

“This is yours,” Yami said, starting to hand it over as Katsuye shook her head. He frowned at her as she said, “It’s yours.”

“Jounouchi--.”

“We’re not friends, Yami, and you know that. I know Yugi went after the guy to help me, and that you both did it because he was going to go after you and not me, but I can’t take it back. The game started, and you won the card.” She let out a breath. “I can’t expect you to have my back, even though I know you do. And in this case, we have to take separate roads to the finals. I’m here to prove myself. I can win without the Red Eyes, and when this is over,” she looked him in the eye, noticing how different he was from Yugi, remembering how he’d looked in the Virtual World, and realizing what he might want for his fate.

“Yami, when this is over, I’m taking you on for that Red Eyes. So you’d better not lose it to those punk Hunters.”

He blinked, then smiled at her, confident as ever. “You’re only taking on me because you know you’ll lose to Yugi.”

She snorted and smiled at him. They weren’t friends - they were comrades-in-arms, both fighters and ones who could only relate to each other during the Duels that were going on, or when they were protecting Yugi. She was glad he could see that. “Please, like even _you_ could win against Yugi if given the chance. He’d wipe the floor with your ass.”

He chuckled and finally nodded. “We will keep it safe, and at the end of this, no matter what, we’ll have our Duel. I look forward to seeing you in the finals, Jounouchi.”

“You’d better not disappoint me, Yami,” she told him before heading off towards the larger part of the town, where the most Duels would be. She wasn’t going to really face off against the same type that Yami and Yugi would, but she was going to get stronger, and she was going to be ready to get back her Red Eyes when the time was right.

 


	3. The Fool (Jounouchi vs. Esper Roba)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaiba is not in the good graces of Mokuba, Honda works as security, and Jounouchi shows her skill as a Duelist in her first match against Esper Roba.

 

The earlier fights with Ghouls only meant that now, everyone was aware that _something_ was going on, but they were also just as focused on finding opponents. It meant that the few bullies and others who were going to try to get rare cards the ‘easy way’ soon found themselves either facing already-hardened champions, or the various hidden security forces located them before they could claim their prize.

Honda was not late at checking in, but he was there when Kaiba stopped by to get Mokuba. Apparently he was going to also wander around, challenging anyone who crossed him or who was in a low rule violation. So Honda isn’t surprised that Kaiba takes a list of those that were brought into the tournament by the various Ghouls that had been working in stores, as if planning to track them down. He frowns as Mokuba looks over the list that one of the security guards gives him before Mokuba says, “Nii-sama, why is Katsuye here?”

 _Of course she’s there_ , Honda thinks. If some of the ways that the guys had acted on Duelist Kingdom was any indication, she was probably tossed out because one of them had said something and she’d hit them. She always took things too seriously.

“Making second-place in Duelist Kingdom wasn’t enough to have her score go up, not when she’s been banned from multiple tournaments due to starting fights,” Kaiba answers as they start to head out, Honda also leaving to go to his spot, as he heard Kaiba continuing to say, “Besides, she and many others were put into the tournament, and it seems the only way she can deal with a tournament anyway is to get in illegally. We’ll see how far she goes.”

Honda lets out a breath as he headed towards the area he was going to patrol, not wanting to get into whatever was going on between the two. He’s known Jounouchi long enough that hearing she’d been kicked out of tournaments for fights was just on par for how Jounouchi dealt with everything in her life. He would admit that she’d cooled down a little - he’d thought she would throw a punch at him the last time they’d talked, so he supposed he was glad she was actually mellowing out. What he was worried about was why she had gone silent and how it might affect her later. Jounouchi was not known for keeping her temper in check, and even if she railed and was angry for a long, long time, she at least could let out whatever was pissing her off. Ever since Yugi finished that puzzle, and since Kaiba came back into their lives, she’d kept putting off challenges and fights. Hell, even after everything that happened with Hirutani returning, she still wasn’t acting like she used to, and Honda knew it was only a matter of time before that all bubbled over and she ended up getting into a fight she couldn’t handle. At that point, she’d have no one to blame but herself, and he wasn’t about to race in to help her out or save her from her own stupidity.

Kaiba apparently wasn’t either, if Mokuba’s increased whining said anything. At least Johji was getting better at not crying so much and was beginning to understand that he shouldn’t do things, but Mokuba was obviously spoiled to the point of no return. So in a way, it was better that Jounouchi didn’t have anything to deal with the Kaibas, at least in Honda’s point of view.

The route he’s been given is, luckily, free of violence or people otherwise bad-mouthing each other until he runs into a small crowd gathered around two Duelists, and he nearly has to duck away when he sees Jounouchi walk up after the pantsing given to that Ryuzaki guy by some weird kid claiming ‘psychic powers’.

He frowned as Jounouchi walked up, saying simply, “I’ll duel you.”

“Oh? And who are you?”

“I thought you were psychic,” she said with a shrug, “or does that only work for a card game?”

Esper Roba growled out something as they showed their ante card, Honda not paying attention and instead looking around before he spotted what he’d been looking for. He was a sucker for games that were hard to win, yeah, but he knew how to spot the signs of a cheat when he saw it.

He casually leaves as the game starts, Jounouchi focused on the game and playing by the new rules. He has his own reasons for taking the early shift, and for being part of the security forces. He only hopes Otogi holds up his end of the deal.

\--

The first few games end before he’s able to summon Obelisk, leaving him in even more of a sour mood after Mokuba ran off with Itonokogiri the moment the Chief of Security had offered him a spot to ride around with him and to go on a ‘special mission’ that probably involved doing legwork for Hinagata and his team that were working on the coding and battle information, so that no one would get into the finals who had cheated, and so they could track the God cards that would probably be in the tournament. There were few ways to defeat even Obelisk, and from what Kaiba had gathered from his own research, Obelisk and Osiris were near-equals. Ra was a far stronger and deadlier opponent, but no one had faced the monster, so there was no data on it’s limits or strengths.

It’s only shortly afterwards that he finds someone breaking the rules, and his frustration is high enough that he decides to put the briefcase full of cards and pre-made decks to their best use.

 _I need a challenge,_ he thinks, _before I face Yugi, and before I decide what to do with those cards. I will win this, and I will do it myself. When that’s done, I can wash my hands of him and his group._

This time, he’s able to easily summon Obelisk and defeat the snivelling loser, walking off as he contemplated how best to work his way through the city and to the semi-finals.

\--

Katsuye is a bit tired of people telling her to give up on things. The Ghoul that had beat her up and that Yami had basically stomped on was only the first in a long line today, but hearing it from a cheater who isn’t about to own up to his own mistakes, let alone someone who is claiming to be able to ‘speak to Pegasus’ spirit’, is going a bit too far.

“I’m not going to give up just because you said so! Giving up only means you aren’t going to get to where you belong, where you need to be. I will not give up when I need to get to my own future, so shut up and Duel!”

Roba laughed. “Oh please! I see your future, and it’s only defeat! You only have two hundred life points left!”

“You’re right,” she said as she drew a card, “I have two hundred points left. I still have a chance.” She looked at her cards - Baby Dragon and a spell card for Scapegoats. Even if Roba drew another monster and put it on the field, it gave her a turn after this to come up with a way to turn things around. He was too full of himself, and she wasn’t about to back down when she still had a chance to win.

 _I fought Mai Kujaku with less points, and Ryuzaki, hell, even Bandit Keith_ twice _. I’m not going to quit just because this guy thinks I should, or that I need to because it’s easy. I’ve never done anything easy, and I’m not going to start now._

She played Scapegoat, not at all surprised when Roba decided to pull her down with all the monsters he could, summoning the monster Reflect Bounder before declaring “Even if you summon a monster, you’ll only lose! Your only future is defeat!”

The two monsters attacked, killing two scapegoats, as Roba said, “The moment your next turn is over, I’ll summon another monster and win. No matter what you do, I win. So stop embarassing yourself and just admit defeat.”

She snorted. “Is this how you deal with all your opponents? Just say that they’re wasting their time and call them names? Some Duelist you are, you cheat.”

“You…”

“You won’t admit to cheating when it’s obvious you did, because I didn’t have two Graceful Dice in my hand. Now you’re saying just because you have two monsters on the field and I have none, that I can’t turn the Duel around. You obviously aren’t playing the same game as everyone else.” She pulled out her final card. “Any game with cards is a game of chance, and I have every chance of winning. So come on, psycho-boy. Tell me what I have.”

When he’s silent, she glances at the card and smirks. “Ok then. You must be speechless because you know what this does. I play the spell-card, Roulette Spider.”

“W-what?”

The spell card jumped out and blinded Jinzo, pulling it to the center of the field as all the others were put into spaces on a roulette, Katsuye’s health dropping by half as she explained what the card did. “I give half my life-points, and the spider latches onto the most powerful monster on the board. When I say, it starts to spin, and wherever it stops is what it throws the power at. That includes you and me. Oh, and you’re the one who gets to tell it to stop.” She smiled at him as he looked at her, his face showing his sudden fear at what she said. “And in case you’re only just getting it...my Deck isn’t a Warrior Deck...it’s a Gamble Deck. So...start the spin!”

The spider whirled--

\--

Honda watched the Duel with the kid brothers of Roba. He’d taken their ability to communicate with him and told them that if Roba mentioned ‘ESP’ again and tried his trick, he’d be kicked out of the tournament. It had done the trick and the kids had instead cheered him on from where they were, not wanting to miss the action.

Honda had smirked when he saw the spider-roulette thing that Jounouchi had used. Of course she’d pull something like that with her new Deck. Her family always had the worst of luck at times, but at least here, she was starting to have better luck and chances.

The kids let out a sigh the moment that their brother yelled “Stop!” and Jinzo pointed at the reflector monster. Honda motioned to the quickest way down as Jounouchi pulled out her final card, Baby Dragon, and ended the Duel. The crowd had mostly left by the time they got there, Jounouchi standing in front of Roba and looking annoyed. “Stop hating yourself and being such a dick. If you want people to respect you, there are better ways to do it than just cheating or being good with this game.” She holds out her hand. “It was a good game and you lost. Get up and stop acting like it was the end of the world.”

“I don’t--.”

“Big brother…” one of the brothers say, getting their attention as Roba stops, looking at them. Jounouchi glares at them and at the confiscated stuff in Honda’s hands before looking back at Roba, then letting out a sigh.

“I’m going to regret this,” she muttered before holding her hand out again to Roba. “Get up and go hug your brothers. If I run into you again, demand a rematch to get Jinzo back. Until then, _play fair_. I did and I beat you silly by the end. Don’t think that just pulling out a big win is going to impress everyone. Being the underdog has its perks.”

This time, Roba did take her hand, standing up and letting out a sigh. “I...I’m not banned?”

“We were told to not ban anyone unless they’re cheating maliciously. Your brothers put an end to it the moment I caught them and were apologetic,” Honda said, sounding official, before glaring at them. “But you’re on a shit-list, so don’t do anything funny. Even if you do make it to the finals, you’ll be watched for any cheating.”

Roba nodded, Honda glancing at her and offering a small, apologetic smile. “I’m sorry about earlier.”

“Save it,” she told him shortly, not returning the smile at all and not feeling apologetic anyway, “I have things to do, the last thing I need is you deciding to bare your _poor conscious_ on us all.”

Honda looked annoyed with that, but did head out as Roba turned to her. “I lost...here’s Jinzo and the map card. I expect you to still have it, when I come back to face you again!”

She let out a laugh and smiled at him. “I expect you to play fair, so at least we both have high expectations for each other.” It was hard to dislike Roba, though he’d been a jerk, but then again, it wasn’t so hard to hate on the guys at Battle City. Ryuzaki snorted as he walked up, pointing at her. “Hey! I get dibs on fighting you when this is over, and you’d better have the Red Eyes or that Time Wizard when I do!”

“I didn’t forget that, you idiot,” she told him with a smile, “besides, you both have to be _Mai Kujaku_ first.”

Ryuzaki let out a dramatic yelp and looked at Roba. “We’re doomed, man, just give up on Jinzo or hope to get a new one.”

“I never back down from a challenge! Besides, Mai’s psychic too, having two psychic’s battle would be perfect!”

Jounouochi groaned. “You’re both idiots, she’ll wipe the floor with you.”

Roba smiled at that. “I don’t mind. It will still be fun, and that’s something I’ve been missing from Duels for a while. And anyway,” he motioned to where a great deal of other Duelists were battling for fun, the race to the semi-finals forgotten as the ones who’d been disqualified already or who were getting down to the count were talking or Dueling with small-talk and smiles, “it’s always good to make friends in the Duelist community, so when the next big tournament comes up, we can always face off or work to getting in.”

Jounouchi nodded, happy to see such a side. Duelist Kingdom had been more about survival and dangers presented by the guy running the whole thing - Kaiba had at least put in ways to keep them safe and make sure they had fun.

_Of course, if what that Ghoul said was true…_

No matter what the fun, Yugi and Yami were going to be the focus of the Ghouls. That left the others free to mingle and network. She finally waved goodbye to the two semi-budding friends (Ryuzaki was already arguing the pros and cons of the new rules while Roba asked about some of the first tournament rules that Ryuzaki had played under) and headed out into the city, determined to get her final cards.

“Want some company?”

“HOLY CRAP, Layla, don’t scare me like that!”

Her older friend gave a smile. “Sorry, didn’t mean to frighten you. I heard Bakura and you entered, I wanted to see how you were doing.”

“Since when does Bakura play Duel Monsters?”

\--

He doesn’t normally take ‘orders’, but considering that the woman who’d been before the Black Clown had offered up the Millennium Eye if he participated in the game and even lured another holder of a Millennium Item, Bakura was keen to take up that offer and go around. His other self, or at least the shell of his other self that was left from their battle against Yami, had taken to the occult and built a deck around the macabre and disturbing things. Bakura approved, though it only made him wonder if that meant his other self and he were more attuned to one another, or that they had merged so much that neither were quite the same. His other persona felt too much like a puppet, too empty, and it was beginning to make the spirit of the Ring wonder about it. He couldn’t look into the soul room as well as others could, and using the Shadows might only bring about his other self’s complete death or disappearance.

He debated speaking to the mysterious woman about it, when he saw her again. She was directing others around, like some grand master directing chess, but it also appeared like she knew that it wasn’t simply her doing it.

 _At least she sees us as people, not chess pieces_ , he thinks wryly as he allows his other self to Duel against others. He’s learning the Deck that way, watching instead of directing, and considering what is going to happen, when he feels a sudden pull on the Shadows.

 _Something happened...is happening_ , he thinks just before he feels it in the Duel Disk. Something has made it so the Disks are beginning to act as ways to access the Shadows, but only to those that were sensitive to it. It meant a few of the ones that had survived the Shadow Games would notice things, not to mention that it would begin to pull in those who had Millennium Items.

_Clever...I doubt that the woman thought of this, so perhaps that other one...Shadii or whatever his name was?_

It sounded like something from a person who believed they could hold two Millennium Items on their own without consequence.

_I can’t wait to see where this goes._

\--

Marik prided himself with thinking ahead, with knowing what would come and what to expect. He’s not surprised that activating the God Card in technology means that the Shadows have begun to merge with that technology, or that anyone holding them would be affected. The God Card Ra that he had control over was ready for the challenge, acting more as a Shadow, a _šwt_ , than the other cards in his Deck, though they also reacted and animated more and more. Osiris was the only one without a true Master, but Marik had chained it in Domino City already, waiting for Yugi Muto, the holder of the Millennium Puzzle, to challenge him.

“Is it wise to go to Domino City?” Rishid asked as they walked to the place where Ra and his Deck was kept, “To challenge Kaiba Seto?”

“Kaiba Seto is a strong Duelist in his own rights, and has faced the Puzzle and Eye before,” Marik said simply, “meaning that even if I face him in a Shadow Game, he will not be so weak as to back down or be afraid. The only thing that can beat Ra is Osiris and Obelisk...I cannot allow them to fall into Yugi or Kaiba’s hands.” He let out a breath. “The man with the Scales and Ankh told us this would happen, Rishid. He warned us, the day we left and began our work to defeat the thing that killed our father. I will not allow the fate of the one responsible to fall into the hands of Ishizu and her weakness, or anyone else. I will decide that fate, and after that, everything will be done. Our family has suffered enough from this curse,” he glanced up at Rishid, the faint dark scars from the ritual he’d undertaken himself, alone and without anyone to guide him, in order to show Marik his devotion and willingness to serve him and Ishizu, only made him all the more angry.

_They could have been together, but he killed father and tore my family apart._

_Yugi Muto...I will_ end you _._

“I have dispatched the Ghoul Arcana,” Rishid finally said as Marik turned back to look at the God Card, “and we are prepared to head to Domino. What else should I do?”

“The Puzzle is strong because of connections, because of the power it has over the friends and family of those with it. Find the ones that are closest to Yugi, and have at least one Ghoul tail them. When I arrive, we’ll start to show Yugi the pain he’s caused our family.”


	4. The Magician (Yami Yugi vs Arcana)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yami faces off against the Rare Hunter Arcana, for the title of Master of Magicians. Along the way, he notices a few things about the power of the Shadows and how they're changing things in the game.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one day! Considering how long and drawn-out the Duels can be, and the fact that I would rather write about the characters...the updates will be two chapters, alternating between Jounouchi and Yami as they head towards Battle City Finals! Mostly until too much happens that there's only one, but for now, two chapters! I spoil you all...

Yugi is grateful that Katsuye didn’t ask where they were going, or that she didn’t come with them to the location either. Yami is angry at the Ghouls and their tactics, and while he does let Yugi calm him down a bit, Yugi’s own anger at how badly Katsuye’s been treated recently. He doesn’t know the reasons for the two becoming so antagonistic towards each other, but he wanted to make sure that she was alright, that she would be safe and cared for. Instead, Kaiba had hurt her, and while she was doing better since joining the tournament, even after all that happened against the Ghoul, he also knew that they would have to address whatever had happened and why it had caused her to be so upset.

For now, Yugi remained quiet, watching from the back of their shared mind, as Yami reached the game store, pausing to look at the darkened room and the sign. Yugi could feel the odd sensation that came from the Shadows, moving around behind the door, and he swallowed.

“A Ghoul is here,” Yami said as he pushed the door open, “and I’m guessing he’s to keep us busy.”

_Why do you say that?_

“Marik wants me in this tournament, but I think he also wants something else,” Yami told him as they walked into the store, “So distracting me is the best...isn’t it?” He asked, directing his attention towards the monitor. Yami could see better in darkness than Yugi could, and their shared body adjusted to it. It was one of the reason why they only traded control so often, and one of the things they’d discovered during their budding relationship - soul-touching was different but wasn’t quite as exhausting as attempting to physically touch during that session. It had left Yugi so tired that Yami almost had to go to class for the day, and the same was true when Yami had tried to be in control instead. He’d been out that whole day, and it had made Yugi call off such things until they had a way to give Yami his own body.

The man steps out of the shadows as Yugi retreats a bit, though he’s still at the edge of their conscious as the man holds up his Duel Disk, a red-edition Dark Magician hovering near him and smirking. The power of the Shadows is stronger with him, and give the cards more of a personality than they would have had. Yugi can already feel that change in his own cards, from the time in Duelist Kingdom as well as from the changes here.

“I heard that you were sharp,” the masked Duelist said, coming out and looking like a stage magician, dressed in blues and reds with a dark mask over most of his face. “I’m Arcana, the master of Magicians, and the second Ghoul.” He smirked, as did his Dark Magician, as he added, “I hear you also use a Dark Magician in your deck. I wonder, is that just a gimmick or are you really a master of your Magician?”

Yami is quiet before smirking. “We’ll see about that. The Shadows are getting strong here, so just saying you’re a Master or have that one card is not enough. The cards are gaining sentience, and are choosing the Duelists more and more. A card that is bound by trust to the Duelist will be stronger, and show it’s true powers. You don’t have the heart to take on me and my Dark Magician. I’ll fight you, Magician vs. Magician!”

\--

Kaiba frowns as his phone trills out a warning, getting him to look down and frown as he noticed Hinagata’s number on the screen. “What?”

“ _You said to call if there was anything odd happened. Well, a few things did.”_

“Like what, exactly?”

“ _Like Yugi Muto’s signal disappearing,_ ” Hinagata told him, “ _It’s happened to a few others as well, and security found a few odd and hidden Duel arenas that were pretty dangerous, but Muto disappeared before we could triangulate his location. We’re working on it, but for right now, he’s gone and there’s no way for us to get help to him._ ”

Kaiba blinked at the implication and frowned. “Get onto it. I don’t want this to happen again.”

“ _I don’t either…you haven’t gotten the reports of the places we found the other Duelists in,”_ Hinagata sounded upset, and Kaiba wondered if he was having issues with how things were going, as well as the years he had spent as a prisoner in Gozaburo’s virtual world trap.

“I expect you to at least deligate, and to know when to stop if things are getting bad,” Kaiba told him, “you have others you can trust with this. You don’t need to focus so much if it’s causing you issues.”

“ _I’m ok…but thank you. If it gets too bad, my friend will take care of me, I promise. I’ll get back to working on this, and to stopping the Ghouls from doing this again.”_

“Good. Thank you.” Kaiba hung up and considered what this all might mean. He called up Itonokogiri, grateful when he heard Mokuba in the background.

“ _Mr. Kaiba?_ ”

“I know Mokuba is upset with me right now…but I would feel better if he come with me for the rest of the tournament.”

“ _Yes sir. We’ll head to your location in a moment, sir, I promise._ ”

“Thank you, Itonokogiri.” He hung up again, and hoped that would be enough to stave off whatever was going on, and whatever dark methods the Ghouls would use throughout this tournament. Even with all the precautions they’d taken, the sheer number of Ghouls and Rare Hunters had only meant that many of the Duelists would face them at least once, especially for ones with very rare cards. As such, some of the ones who’d had rarer cards but weren’t as good with Dueling were now in the tournament, but he supposed that only made the tournament a bit better…but not for someone like him, who had to deal with such weak Duelists and people.

Well, he’ll have to see what happens. He started this to gain the God Cards, give Yami his freedom, and claim the title of King of Duelists that was rightfully his. All he cared was to win this tournament, show Yugi and Yami that he _could_ win and defeat them. He would win, and that is all that mattered. After that, he wouldn’t have to worry about Yugi and Yami, as well as any of their friends. He could get on with his life, and leave all the rest behind him.

_I have no room in my life for people like Yugi, or Yami, and certainly no room in my life for that idiot, third-rate Duelist of a girl._

\--

Yami frowns at the decorations in what Arcana called “Pandora’s Room”, the creepy arena in which Arcana wished to Duel him for the right to call himself a ‘master’ of Magicians.

Yami only had to touch his deck to know it was full of ways to cheat, and to know that Arcana only viewed his cards as tools to be used. Even the Dark Magician inside felt malice toward Arcana, but feared his wrath and would do what it could to serve him.

Arcana’s trap catches Yami by surprise, Yugi panicking briefly as Arcana says, his voice sounding hectic and full of some sort of hysterical fervor. “And now you will witness the greatest show of the century! Arcana’s daring escape from the very _jaws_ of **_DEATH_**!”The saw blade that came out and began to whirl near them, Arcana’s explanation of his ‘house rules’ sounding sadistic and cruel. The revelation of why this was already set up suddenly hit Yami as he felt the cries of all the other victims, knew why all of the cards in the deck hated and feared Arcana.

_I’m not the first he pulled down here to take the cards he wanted from them. I won’t be the first that he attempts to kill in this method._

“Arcana…I will not forgive you for all you’ve done!”

The Duel started even as Arcana kept his sadistic smile. Yami knew he’d already destroyed the cards to know one from the other, and to get his Dark Magician in his first hand. _I’ll show him how to fight against someone that uses a Dark Magician._

\--

The Shadows that have attached themselves to the Duel Disks were making all of the cards and many of the Duels more...interesting. Kaiba was seeing it now, whenever his Duels turned and he instead called on the Blue Eyes to face his opponents. The Dragons roared and hissed, staying behind him and curling around him before opening their wings in a display that seemed designed to show that Kaiba was _theirs_. The other time he managed to summon the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, it had done much the same, the heads all having some odd, separate way of looking at the monster or person they were about to destroy.

Yami and Yugi, though, saw something quite different. Yugi was silent as he saw the Dark Magician in front of them, sacrificing himself to stop the Ectoplasm from the other magician. Arcana’s continued disrespect of the game and even of the Shadows only made them grow more and more irritated.

 _Mou hitori no boku,_ Yugi finally said as their turn began, _we have to take the Dark Magician from him._

That Magician would be hard to use, but Yami saw the point to taking it. It needed someone to care for it, and if the Duel Disks were going to spread the Shadows and allow the cards to have more and more of a personality, especially the higher-level and rare cards, as well as those that had been with their owner the longest.

 _He has two others...but I sense that they aren’t as aware the first one he’s used,_ Yami thought, meaning that those cards were probably replicas or copies of the first one Arcana had gotten. It made sense that the other Dark Magician had worked with Arcana but never seemed ready to attack unless ordered to, or why he stayed so close to his own card’s image when others might move around.

When Arcana summons the Curtain, Yami knows what he has to do. He has multiple rare cards in his Deck, and this one is somewhat rare. While not as powerful as the Dark Magician, or even as Rare, she was going to help out, and would win the game.

So it’s worth the sacrifice to his life points to summon her, the Dark Magician Girl appearing and glaring at the imitation version of her Master before fending off the attack, the power of his Dark Magician and the one in Arcana’s graveyard adding to her power before she goes after Arcana himself.

Yugi takes over the moment they’re free and Aracana begins screaming, dropping the key he’d been holding while the saw comes at it, taking out a part of his leg right before Yugi unlocked the bindings and pulled him down and away from the saw, huffing at the exertion so soon after he’d taken control and when his body was still changing back to fit him. Yami did his best to ease it even as Yugi breathed out, sounding as angry as Yami had been, “N-no game is worth dying for...that’s just sick!”

Arcana’s body shifted, moving like a puppet getting up, as his voice asked, tinted with the same overtone as the one they’d first faced, and getting Yugi to stiffen in fear as the blades stopped and signaled the end of the game.

“Now why would you do that...ah, I see. You’re the ‘other’ Yugi, the Vessel.”

Yami felt his own anger rise at Yugi’s fear and curiosity. How dare Marik dismiss Yugi so, call him something like that? Yami hated that his partner, his _aibou_ , was only seen as a vessel, as less than him, and treated so badly by all he faced. Shadii, Pegasus, and now Marik - all dismissed him when Yami knew he never could have gotten this far without his other side, his light.

“Why did you do this? Why are you attacking us?”

“I have no use for you, but I have business with the other soul contained in you. I am the heir of a clan, of tomb guardians, and I am here to avenge them.”

Yugi stiffened at the news, Marik going on to say, “My clan has protected some of the Items for generations, through sorrow and suffering, to await the day when the Pharaoh returned to regain his memories. I don’t plan to welcome the one that has caused us all such pain and suffering. I will kill the other soul, the soul of the Pharaoh that has caused us such suffering, and I will ascend to be the new king!” He chuckled. “I already have the two of the three God-Cards, the ones that will use their power to make the veil between the Shadows and this world more real, as it had been in ancient times. All three are in this tournament, and when the time comes, I will claim them and rid my clan of this curse that was put upon us by the soul you keep inside you!”

Yami can feel Yugi’s fear, but underneath it is his calm and determination. He knows now why they are here, what he was trying to hide, and is not afraid of it. Yugi instead grips the chain around his neck, holding it near the top of the Puzzle, before he says to Marik, “I won’t let you kill my partner. We will fight you!”

Marik let out a laugh. “You’re nothing but a vessel...no matter what his fate, you’ll die as well. But since I don’t want you to be bored while I travel to your city...there is a man in your city with Osiris, the God-card. You’ll see him before you know it...beware the silent doll, Yugi.”

The hold was ended and Arcana dropped, slumping to the floor as Yugi allowed himself to shiver, not just from exhaustion over the change, but also from what had been said.

“ _Aibou...I am sorry for keeping this from you._ ”

“We’ve faced this danger before. It’s just...I’m afraid of what this might mean for everyone else in the tournament, as well as for us. I will help you regain your memories, no matter what that means. I knew the risks. That’s why, no matter what, we’re partners in this.” He smiled and then looked down at the unconscious body of Arcana. “Let’s get him somewhere safe, then continue. I think Anzu and the others are in the city now, and probably worried.”

“ _No matter what happens, aibou, I will do my best to protect you and keep you from any dark fates,_ ” his other self said as they pulled out their prize, the other Dark Magician, and put it in with the other cards they’d collected. Yugi doubted he’d be able to work in their Deck at the moment, but hoped for a small break to figure out a good strategy with him and the other Dark Magician as well as the Dark Magician Girl. “ _It’s only been a few hours since the start of the tournament. We have to be ready for anything that might come over the next few days.”_

“We will be,” Yugi said before going to help up Arcana, “I know it.”

 


	5. Justice (Jounouchi vs. Insector Haga)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katsuye and Layla talk, Haga is given Ryuzaki's Duel Disk so he can fight Katsuye, and Kaiba has yet to figure out how to not be a complete jerk. Battle City continues, as the God Cards begin to arrive...

 

Anzu is trying her best to not be upset over having overslept and, now, having to deal with Otogi as he drags her towards the rehab center outside of town, instead of into Battle City where Yugi and Katsuye had gone to earlier this morning. She knew Bakura had entered too, though she couldn’t really figure out why, and Honda was in doing security, so she wasn’t sure if he could really cheer them on or not.

At the same time, she knows that they’ll be alright on their own. Katsuye can keep herself happy, and the reason for going to the rehab center is important enough that they can catch up with her by the evening and probably before she gets to the Semi-Finals. For all that Anzu had doubted her in Duelist Kingdom, she believed in her now, knew that Katsuye could hold her own against anyone that challenged her, and that meant that Anzu and the others who weren’t able to make the fight could cheer them on or do whatever it took to show them that they’re cared for.

Which meant that Anzu was dealing with Otogi, who was sulking because Honda wasn’t returning his calls, and a guy named Varon who knew Mai and who wanted to cheer up Katsuye because she was ‘cute’ but not for him.

 _How many others have told her that because she’s mixed?_ Anzu wondered as they got to the room that Varon had learned about from Mai, _And what did Kaiba actually say to her?_

“Hello?” The young girl in the room said as they came in, looking up with bandages covering her eyes. “Who’s there?”

“Mai sent me,” Varon said with a smile, “She said she told you she was sending some people to come and make sure you’re ok?”

“OH! You much be Varon,” the girl, Shizuka, said happily. “Who is everyone else, then?”

“Otogi Ryuuji,” Otogi said with a smile that got Anzu to glare at him. “You must be Jounouchi Katsuye’s sister.”

“Stop that,” Anzu told him forcibly, then gave a shy smile that the girl couldn’t see. “I’m Mazaki Anzu. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Shizuka smiled, apparently recognizing her name. “You’re one of Katsuye’s friends. I’m so glad to finally meet you. I’ve only met Mokuba-kun and Mai-san.”

“Katsuye is competing in a tournament, so she can’t be here,” Varon said as he brought out a wheelchiar, “but Mai is sure she’ll be in the finals, just like I’m sure you’ll want to see her kicking butt in that time.”

Shizuka straightened, looking in their direction. “Huh?”

“We want you to come with us, and gain the courage to see again,” Anzu told her, moving over to take her hand. “And when you do, you can see your sister competing in a tournament and winning.”

“I...but…”

“If it helps,” Otogi said simply, rolling some die in his fingers as he did, “the guy who’s at the end of this tournament is Kaiba Seto.”

Shizuka went still, then finally nodded. “Ok. I’ll do it.”

\--

They take a break at a noodle bar that Katsuye frequents whenever she has the spare money, Layla happily eating the meat feast she’d ordered as Katsuye eats her own with a few added veggies and mushrooms. It’s worth the extra charge and she smiles as she eats, her Duel Disk between them and safe.

“So, what now?” Layla asked as she paused to take a drink of water. “I hope you’re not just going to go around, avenging other Duelists.”

Katsuye smiled a bit at that. “That sounds exhausting. I didn’t get into this game to do anything but prove I’m a Duelist, and I’m doing that. I’d rather actually _Duel_ than deal with guys that Yugi fought and beat. It feels like that’s all I do, like I never get anywhere because of that. It’s not something I like, and I want to change that.”

Layla seemed happy about that, nodding in agreement. “You shouldn’t always be in his shadow. Being yourself is important, and doing what you have to do is just as important.” She stirs up the bowl a bit before asking, “What about Kaiba?”

“What about him?” she asked, eating a bit more in the hopes the topic would go away. “He’s running the tournament, and obviously he’s stroking his own ego. What’s more to talk about?”

Layla frowned at  her, as if curious. “You seemed to like him enough a month ago. Or at least, you were good at hiding your obvious dislike of him a month ago. What happened?”

“Nothing that I didn’t see coming,” she told Layla, her appetite disappearing. “It’s not like I haven’t had some guy act like he liked me only to decide I wasn’t worth his time. At least this one didn’t turn abusive before we called it off.”

Layla looked upset over the confession, shifting to look at Katsuye before asking, “So, do you want me to be cliche about this, or should I just join you in ragging on Kaiba?”

“I’m not ‘ragging’ on a guy who’s telling what he thinks is the truth, and who decided to throw some tournament that’s obviously villain-bait when a few weeks before, he was telling me I can’t stay out of trouble if I moved to a desert island. I’m doing my best to not _think_ about someone who’s whole purpose seems to be to play me along before either disappearing on me or telling me I’m worthless.” She pushed the bowl away, crossing her arms and letting out a huff of annoyance. “I’m not just in this for Yami, or for my sister. She’ll get the strength to take off her bandages - she’s always been strong enough when finally pushed too far, and she knows enough about her condition that being blind isn’t as scary as it was in the beginning. I think she’s just...worried about me. I’m doing this to show that I can be on my own, that _I’m_ able to show off and be a good Duelist as well, without having Yami or Kaiba or anyone overshadow me. And hell, with more and more female Duelists coming out of the woodwork, at least I’m not dealing with some of those lame-ass bastards--”

“YOU!”

Katsuye dropped her head on the table as a small, thin kid with a lime-green shirt that had a beetle on it, and glasses that looked like a bug, came in and pointed at her. “I won’t forgive you for getting into this tournament when I had to fight my way in! I’m challenging you to a Duel!”

“Oh for--you know what, _fine_ , but I’m not taking whatever lame-ass rare bug card you’re going to pull out, not unless you up the ante.”

The young man glared at her before saying, “I offer up two puzzle cards then. How’s _that_ , or do you not have two yet?”

“I wouldn’t be in here still if I didn’t have at least two, dumbass.” She stood up, getting her Duel Disk and putting it on. “Let’s go outside - I doubt the staff here need someone to report a sudden infestation of bugs.”

\--

Layla is not the only audience for the Duel, but she does think it’s a pretty good one, a few other Duelists coming in to watch Haga and Katsuye as they have their showdown. Apparently, Katsuye had taken a switch to Haga’s backside for what he’d said and done during Duelist Kingdom, and now he had to try to beat her to get some of his reputation back.

It also didn’t help that he probably got the Duel Disk from that Ryuzaki kid who was standing nearby, looking like he thought this was a terrible idea and that he’d told Haga that about a million times before they found the two of them. Ryuzaki apparently is all for Haga Dueling, just not Dueling Katsuye.

The Duel starts off simple enough, though the monsters that appear, as usual, don’t have their special effects listed so there’s some warning. You have to either know the card, or hope that you get everything right and they have just normal cards, not ones that cause something when they die or are sacrificed. Haga’s insects seemed to be prone to special abilities, allowing him a bit more life as well as also getting him to summon a monster onto Katsuye’s side of the field.

“WHAT THE HELL!?” she yelled as it appeared and infected her two monsters, turning them into bug-monsters and making her cringe in disgust.

“That’s my trap card - Parasite Paracide! It turns all the monsters on your side of the field into Insect-type monsters!”

She glared at him, saying, “Well, it’s still my attack turn, so attack!”

“I activate Insect Barrier!”

“OH WHAT THE HELL!?”

Layla almost smiled at this, noticing that despite the high stakes, Katsuye was actually having _fun_ in the game. Haga was obviously taking this _very_ seriously, though, as he glared at her when she leveled her own at him before continuing the match, despite not being able to attack him or even use the two transformed monsters on her side as tributes.

Haga, though, smirked as he pulled out the spell card “Insecticide”, using the death of one monster to bring out his rare card he was going to use against her, the Insect Queen. It roared, alive by the use of the holograms but also the small bits of the Shadows that were in all the Duel Disks. Haga and Ryuzaki weren’t strong enough to feel it or make their animals more alive, as they would be with Katsuye or her star, but their monsters made up for not being as connected by also being more animated, looking more realistic in some senses than any other things on the board.

The battle is almost at a stand-still. Despite losing one of her monsters to the Queen, Katsuye is still able to strike back, using a trap card to get Haga to lose points as well, making them almost even with only a few turns in and more people coming to watch the whole thing and cheer one or the other, or discuss what’s going on and what might work to get into or out of the situation. At least one person has already called to play the winner, and two others, who apparently had no more map cards, were playing a game without the disk at a side area, watching as well when they could.

“I know your Deck only has warriors and beast-warriors, Jounouchi!” Haga said with a laugh, “You don’t have anything to withstand my ultimate insect combo!”

She let out a breath and moved her monsters into defense mode, glaring down Haga as he chuckled, the rest of the group around them talking about what she might do or considering with what they know. Layla, watching to one side near Ryuzaki, is confident in Katsuye, but that doesn’t stop her from worrying when another bug-card is drawn.

\--

Hinagata sighs and stretches a bit as they continue to search through the database. The people he’d hired to monitor the Duel Disks and the tournament themselves are reporting various small crimes to security that they’d arranged all over the city, but besides the two big events - Yugi facing off in an arena that was illegal (and dangerous, if what their guys found was true) and the main event at 9am, when a bunch of Duelists had faced off against Ghouls - nothing big had happened, and there was no sign of any other God-card besides Kaiba’s own.

He’s a bit surprised when Kaiba calls in for a status report, mostly because Mokuba has been doing so with the Chief. “Mokuba’s not with you?”

“He wanted to have some time apart, and he’s safe with the Chief. What do you have?”

“So far, no sign of the other two God Cards, but plenty of signs of possible Ghouls and Rare Hunters. We’ve been attempting to direct everyone we can, as well as find any infiltrators, but most of them are low-level, or have already set up their arenas to make things even more difficult for us. They seem to be concentrating their efforts on Yugi, so we have him under watch and alert. At least one already approached him and the end result is him going to the hospital. Guy’s already on suicide-watch as well.”

Kaiba let out an angry huff. “Keep me and the Chief updated. I--.” he stopped, looking over at something, then said, “I’ll call you back if I run into anything interesting.”

Hinagata frowned as Ren raced up to him, the younger girl letting out a sigh as she handed over the information she’d gathered. Miyamoto Ren was a friend he’d met right before he’d been captured, who at the time had just been a young hacker that got insanely lucky. Now, she was one of the best, and the one he’d brought on to help him with finding everything they could about the God Cards, as well as just helping with the logistics of a tournament/international criminal ring trap.

The fact that she was so damned enthusiastic about it made him feel old.

“What’s up?”

“He’s over near where Jounouchi Katsuye is! You know, the girl that--.”

“Yeah, I know.” The talk after that dance had been high, and when the two seemed to distance themselves, it was still obvious they were damned _cute_ together.

Which is what Ren said, not Hinagata and nowhere near Kaiba’s hearing. He’s pretty sure Ren is some sort of shipper with the two. Not that he wasn’t - he was rooting for them to get together and...he didn’t know, DATE or something. He’s seriously debating finding a Raquel Welsh costume from _10,000 BC_ to give to Katsuye as a joke and have her wear, just to see Kaiba’s reaction.

“Maybe that’s why he cut his talk so short!” she said, her energy coming back in a way that he’s pretty sure most energy-drink consumers would envy. It was worse because the girl never drank coffee or anything of the sort - even _green tea_ got her wired.

 _Traditionally prepared green tea_.

“Ren…”

“But maybe he’s watching her Duel and he’ll see how awesome she and then...and then _fanfic_.”

“I don’t even want to know,” he said, going back to his work.

“But...but……. _fanfic_ , Ken! Actual, real life, _I can’t believe this is happening, tumblr-famous **fanfic**_ **.** _”_

“And you can’t go and see it, you have to stay here and help me monitor things,” he said, pointing to the other computer she normally was at, “Which means no abusing the satellites to watch."

“Oni-san…”

“NO,” he said, pulling out a chair and pointing to it, “Sit, Ren. We can deal with the soap opera that is Kaiba’s inability to say he likes someone later.”

She sniffed and sat, looking unhappy as she did so, and then starting to type at a speed that was normally inhuman but that he knew came from her learning how to type without looking at the keyboard and exploiting that for games and hacking. He glanced over once and then glared at her.

“I have to monitor at least one game! And plus Haga wasn’t actually _in_ the game, remember? He’s apparently subbing for Ryuzaki.”

“You told me that with far too serious a face, and I’ll let it pass this once if you actually do work, ok?”

Ren gave him a mock-salute and went back to typing quickly, apparently doing some sort of multi-tasking while she watched the game. Hinagata just shook his head and turned back to his own monitor as he watched for any odd signs that might come up. Something tugged at the back of his mind, like a hidden memory, and he ignored it in favor of doing his job. The odd dreams he’d been having, like some movie about ancient Egypt, could wait until this whole thing was over.

\--

Kaiba walked up and stood on the edge of the crowd, only a few watching him, as he assessed the situation. Haga, formerly Japan’s champion, was fighting against Jounouchi, who appeared to be in defensive mode as she looked at her cards and then back up. He spotted the Insect Barrier and Parasite Paracide, two cards that made it impossible for her to attack. It also appeared that Haga had the Insect Queen on his side, with at least one other insect there and a larva already in play.

“You can’t do anything! You can’t win this!”

“You never know,” she said with a small smile, “I play one face-down card, and summon Gearfred the Iron Knight.”

He tilted his head as the knight appeared, the Paracide not being able to infect him as she said, “Gearfred’s an _Iron_ knight...like a robot, dummy. He can’t be infected, meaning he can make it past the barrier, and hack one of your little larva down.”

The Knight did just that, returning when it’s attack was done as Haga glared at her before saying simply, “I’m still able to defeat you! I still have the Queen on my side, and now, I play Multiplication for my ant drones, giving my queen 6600 attack points! Attack her, Queen! Kill the Knight!”

“Haga...you’re weak.”

“W-What!?”

Her trap card activated, showing the Grave Robber. “And besides, I hate bugs, so I grabbed your Insecticide.”

“...no.”

“Yep. Down goes the Queen.” The Robber giggled as the spray hit the queen, the giant insect letting out a screech before falling over as her turn started, the ants from a turn before now gone as she mowed him down with Gearfred and walked over as Haga sat down, looking annoyed.

“At least this time, you weren’t a jerk about it.”

“I made sure he wasn’t,” Dinosaur Ryuzaki said, coming over to poke Haga, “Hand over the ante, you idiot. You lost.”

“Damnit... but she was just a newbie! She _is_ just a newbie!”

“And she beat me at Duelist Kingdom anyway, while being _just a newbie_ , now hand them over and stop being such a little kid!”

“Ouch! Who’s the kid, you jerk!”

Jounouchi groaned and held out her hand as that Layla woman walked up. “Just give me the cards and go plot revenge or whatever elsewhere.”

Haga did so with some grumbling, muttering to Ryuzaki as he said, “I let you take it so you could have a few games, I’m glad you were able to win, but you’re such a crybaby about losing.”

“Screw you, at least I won two games!”

Ryuzaki rolled his eyes and pulled him away. “Come on, I saw some guys trading over here, let’s see if we can get something good out of it.”

They headed out as one of the watchers moved over to where Jounouchi had been standing, smiling as she said, “This is great! I hope I can at least get some dents in you - I haven’t found Mai Kujaku to fight against yet.”

“If you do, tell her we said ‘hi’,” Jounouchi said with a smile, which faded when she caught sight of Kaiba. Layla looked over to see what she’d been looking at, and the other female Duelist looked over with a blink and a surprised look, as if amazed to see him watching.

“By all means, don’t mind me,” he finally said as he motioned, “I do enjoy watching amateurs act like they have a chance at the finals.”

The other female duelist blushed in embarrassment, looking down, as Jounouchi glared at him, Layla appearing to be indifferent to his insults that he threw at the idiot girl who couldn’t take his advice. He’d told her to stay out of tournament she couldn’t win, and especially out of ones that weren’t offering a prize for the losers. Maybe she thought there was, and it would be enough to at least get her sister into a proper rehab facility or something, in case her eyesight didn’t come back.

He waited as Jounouchi looked back at the other Duelist, who was fidgeting nervously and finally said, “I’m not sure if we should. I mean...I heard…”

“Kaiba isn’t going to waste his time Dueling us,” she said finally, crossing her arms, “we’re ‘beneath’ him.”

“On the contrary,” he said with a smirk, “I need some testers for my new deck, and weaklings like you two are perfect. I’ll even Duel you both at the same time.”

The other Duelist was even more nervous, finally moving away from them and out of the park as Kaiba shrugged. “Not going to stand up for her? What would Yami say?”

“He’d say you’re a dick,” Jounouchi said, “I’m not here to stand up for other Duelists, and I’m not here to deal with you.”

“No, you’re here illegally because some low-grade Ghouls wanted your Red-Eyes. At least now you have a card to replace it with, though I doubt you’d get a good trade for Insect Queen.”

“At least I know you’re too much of a stuck-up ass hole to actually take anyone’s cards. Or are you just here amongst us ‘lower lifeforms’ so you can show off?”

He snorted. “I already have four locator cards anyway. I don’t need to resort to Pegasus’ tactics to win this game.” He looked her over, considering if he should take away the Duel Disk or not, when there was a sudden beep from the small speaker piece on his lapel.

“ _Sir, something’s going on...I think we found one of the God Cards._ ”

“On my way,” he muttered, glancing back at Jounouchi as she watched him, apparently still upset over what he’d said. She probably had only just gotten those two locator cards she’d been given, not to mention the rare monster.

“Looks like I have to get going. I suppose next time I see you, I’ll have to disqualify you for entering illegally.”

“Next time you’ll see me, I’ll be in the finals,” she said, still glaring at him, “so good luck with that.”

He snorted, turning to head out as his phone beeped, giving him the location of the Duel.

_Another God-Card is about to go into play._

\--

Layla walked up to stand next to Katsuye as she stood, trying hard to not yell something childish back at Kaiba. What _right_ did that bastard have to say that she had cheated to be here? What gave him the _RIGHT_ to even think about taking this away from her?

_It’s his tournament...he can do whatever the hell he wants. He’ll probably disqualify me no matter how far I make it...so what’s the point of continuing?_

“Katsuye? Are you alright?”

“I’ll be fine,” she muttered, tapping on her Duel Disk to see if it beeped with anyone nearby. Most were in battles, so their tracker was off, but one beeped faintly from the west side of town, near the docks. “I’m going to show that bastard what I can do.”

“I’m sure he’ll be happy to watch,” Layla said as they headed west, “he seemed so impressed with that last battle.”

Katsuye lets out a huff of anger, wishing Layla wasn’t so truthful at times like these. “You could at least not be on his side.”

“I’m not,” Layla pointed out, “I’m just telling you what I saw. He’s obviously not happy with you being here, and for whatever reason, he seems to think that you being in the finals, or even in the tournament, is an affront to his rules. I don’t see why you need to prove yourself to him when he’s not going to care.”

Katsuye slowed a bit, wondering that herself. He’d made his thoughts about her and her choices perfectly clear when they were at the hospital, before Mom kicked her out from seeing Shizuka, and now he was also just as clear that he wasn’t going to respect her, no matter what she did.

To him, she was just some low-class idiot who thought she could win because she’d gotten lucky against a former champion. It didn’t matter about her wins in this game, or that she’d gotten this far without her Red-Eyes. It wasn’t like he even thought much of the Red-Eyes anyway - that much had been clear when she’d foolishly challenged him to a Duel with his first-generation Duel Disk. After all, he had his three Blue Eyes, what use did he have for something that was _inferior_? She’s surprised he didn’t pull out the _well-worn_ insult either, or maybe he was being a little nicer in that area.

Katsuye pushed the thought from her mind as Layla said, “Tell me you’re not stupid enough to actually be trying to show off for him.”

“I’m not that stupid,” she said, “I’m _far_ from that stupid. I’m doing this for myself, and I’m sick and tired of people thinking I’m doing this just to prove something to _Kaiba_. I would rather prove myself to anyone _but_ him.”

Layla considers this before she says, “What about Shizuka?”

“What about her?”

Layla gave her a small smile. “Nothing. But a mutual friend said she might be coming here to see you Duel.” As Katsuye stiffened, Layla shook her head. “She hasn’t taken off the bandages yet, but she is coming here with some of your friends, and I think she’d be glad to watch her sister prove herself, even if it’s just to herself, like she’s proving that she’s no longer afraid and is able to do things on her own.”

Katsuye looked at Layla, her eyes starting to tear up, and she finally looked down and away. Layla allowed it - Katsuye hated being seen when she was crying - and simply said after a moment. “Didn’t we have a Duelist to find on the West side?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My purpose with Hinagata and Ren is that they're the reincarnations of Mana (Dark Magician Girl) and Mahad (Dark Magician), because it's my fic and I wanted those two reincarnated as something besides very expressive cards in Yami Yugi's deck. Also because the way things go sometimes, Hackers = Magicians for what people think they can do (and what they can do, if you're like me and make faces at anything beyond basic HTML). Also because now, I have more people to mess with!....wait...  
> ...no, that's right.


	6. The Chariot (Yugi vs. Strings)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yugi faces off against the puppet that Marik controls, as Marik heads into Domino.

 

Yugi lays on the grass by the arroyo, watching the clouds as he relaxes. Between saving Arcana and getting him medical attention, he’s exhausted and is just grateful to find a place to rest. Yami is silent in his mind, though he appears next to him, the ghostly figure that only Yugi can see sitting up next to him and running a hand through his hair.

Yugi wishes that they could do this in real life, and he knows that Yami’s quest for his memories will lead him more towards being real, towards knowing who he once was, so he could better live now.

“I’m not sure if we should change for the next fight,” Yami tells him as Yugi looks over at him, confused.

“What’s wrong?”

“What happened with Arcana,” Yami told him, “it’s exhausted you, and I hate seeing that happen to you because of how we are connected.” He gave Yugi a smile as he looked down at him. “What Marik called you as well...I hate that you are thought of that way. That all the others only view you as a vessel when you are so much more. When it’s because of you that I am even able to stand up to them and know that my chastising of them is not hypocritical.”

Yugi smiled back, wishing they could have time to kiss, or time to relax like this. He has a feeling that won’t be the case anymore, that something will happen soon and they’ll have no choice but to constantly fight.

“We said we’d fight together in this,” Yugi told him seriously, looking up at the bright sky, “and we will. No matter what anything thinks, we’re in this together.”

\--

“Lord Marik,” the Ghouls greeted him as he got off the yacht they’d gotten a while ago, having used it mostly to keep out of the reach of the law and those that Ishizu and the others had sent against him. It amazed him that she’d never used her Item to find them, only to keep him from the weakest of the God cards and then influenced Seto Kaiba into this tournament. He also wonders if it’s because of that woman that Shadii warned him about, the one who would use her power and influence to bring the Pharaoh back into power and be the real power behind the throne, the one who directed the Shadows and the reborn king.

“We have already gotten a Duel Disk for you, and the puppet is ready for your command. But sir, with your most skilled Duelist in the city already, and with Osiris already there…”

“There’s no guarantee that we’ll get what we need. My sister’s involvement means that this might be a trap, and I’m guessing enough of them have been sprung to take out some of the other Hunters we have there.”

He chuckled as he got onto the motorcycle that he’d gotten after his first big break, the one he enjoyed riding...the one that at least took him back to the one happy memory before the Pharaoh’s curse has resurfaced and his father had died.

“Where is Yugi now?”

“He’s in section E of the city,” another Ghoul said, “close to the ‘doll’.”

“Excellent. I can battle him and get to the city at the same time.”

“SIR?”

“I intend to test the power of Ra against him...what better way than to try out and see if he can even handle the lesser deity of Osiris?”

\--

Yugi is up and starting to walk down to the pathway near the small river when a person jumps in front of him, his body moving like it’s protesting every pull but also bonelessly, like a marionette, and he instantly tenses, even before he sees the swollen wadjet eye on the pale, hairless man’s forehead.

“Marik!”

“ **Oh** _,_ ” the voice was scratchy and hoarse from disuse, covered over by another that he knew had to be Marik’s. All the others had had a similar sound to their voice, but this one carried it the most, “ _i_ **f it isn’t the vessel. Time for you to step aside, and let your better take the reigns.** ”

“No,” Yugi said, glaring and determined as he held the Duel Disk before him like a shield. “We fight as one. If you Duel him, you Duel me, and vice-versa. Or are you so afraid of me?”

The laughter was hollow and sounded forced, making Yugi shiver. “ **You think you can fight me? The silent doll holds one of the two God Cards. Before it, you will not be able to win.** ”

Yugi is quiet, waiting for Yami to protest, or take over, and instead he hears him whisper, “He’s underestimating you, aibou. Let’s show him how badly that can end.”

\--

Bakura frowned as the Ring reacted to something coming, the feel of a dark pull like his own nearly losing him the game. He finishes vindictively and heads towards where he’d felt the odd pull come from, trying to think. He knew there was at least one Millennium Item in the museum, but Layla had made sure to point out that him going near it would end in pain far worse than just getting himself half-killed during an RPG.

They’re as close to one as anything can get, Ryou Bakura’s tattered soul fully integrated with his own and the only change between them being on how they talked. There is enough of a difference that when one is in control, someone can see, but they are too close together to ever really be separated again.

Oddly, he doesn’t mind. The Ring accepted Bakura as it’s master and Bakura seemed to accept that there was going to be a slow shift to where they were united. He hadn’t fought it, and if anything seemed fine with being the ‘good’ side, while Bakura acted or ate up the rage and anger he sometimes felt towards life. Bakura was just as fine with that, noting that though Bakura enjoyed making white mages and the ones that were ‘lawful good’, he also didn’t mind having a party full of those who would do things against his teachings, and turning a blind eye as needed for the game.

He was quiet right now, but woke when he also felt the tug of the Shadows, reacting to something new heading into Domino.

“I have time...but I’ll have to see who this new player is,” Bakura muttered as he headed out to find the next opponent. He already had three cards, and just needed another three before he could enter the tournament and see what else was going on. If anything, being there would throw Yami and Yugi off, and would get him more information as to what was going on. Layla might even show her hand, if Shadii didn’t.

_I don’t trust either of them, but they have a great deal going on. I’m beginning to think that, no matter what occurs, we’ll have to deal with them by the end._

\--

Yugi is mostly silent as they battle Marik, beyond declaring what he’s doing or summoning a monster, and Yami is grateful that Yugi is able to do this without input from him. Though the deck is _theirs_ , it is still something that almost feels more like Yami’s instead of Yugi’s. Yugi enjoys using monsters that level up easily, the ones that, if they can survive, will gain more power and experience on the next turn. They hadn’t been able to put any in, instead going for a balanced deck that didn’t favor one type of monster beyond maybe spellcasters, but that also allowed them to hold monsters like the Red Eyes and could work with any other Deck, or against any Deck.

Marik’s first attack was easily broken, and while Yami would have gloated, Yugi didn’t, being very matter-of-fact with his reactions. He isn’t panicked over the Gem machine or the Revival Jam monster on the other side, thinking to Yami instead, _He’s going to try to summon Osiris as soon as he can, meaning it’s probably already in his hand, or he has a way to get it. The only two ways I can think of dealing with it is to stop it’s arrival, or to somehow deal a blow to a weak point after it’s summoned._

 _“The problem is, we don’t know if it_ has _a weak point,”_ Yami pointed out, “ _It could be that the three are simply overpowered._ ”

_Even so...even overpowered monsters have weaknesses. All we need to do is find it._

He summoned Buster Blader, having it go after Revival Jam only for the gem to form back, Marik letting out a laugh as it did.

“ **I said that water is my invisible shield, and the jam returns to it’s original form, like water. No matter what, you cannot attack me.** ”

Yugi is quiet, worried, and Yami picks up on the feelings as he asks, “ _What, aibou?_ ”

_He’s going to trap us so he can summon Osiris._

_“Are you sure?_ ”

_If his monsters are like what we saw - monsters to test, defend, or sacrifice for a summons, then he’ll do his best to keep us trapped until the ones for sacrifice are ready - most token monsters are very weak, and will be in either attack or defense mode but without anyone able to change that._

It made sense, the only question was what he was going to use to keep them from attacking, since a few barriers could be worked around. He had to hope for one of the cards to be one that would deactivate it the moment they pulled it.

The Nightmare Steel Cage they pulled went around them quickly, the power of the Shadows making the game more realistic, and the power coming off of a God Card only making Yami all the more worried. This wasn’t a Shadow Game, but it was something that could easily pull a person into one if they weren’t careful.

“ **So how is your other half feeling, vessel? How does he feel, being trapped in that cage? Humiliated? Depressed...forgotten?** ” The voice turned dark, angry, as it said, “ **That is how I felt my whole life! That is the curse of the tombkeepers! When I’m done with this game, you will die, as will the spirit of the one who cause my pain with you, and my revenge will be complete.** ”

The next turn came, and the machine and gems disappeared as there was a crack of thunder before something rose up from the ground, coiling and finally coming up to roar at them from behind the ‘doll’ that Marik had been using. Yugi’s eyes went wide, fear suddenly taking hold as he felt the power of the Shadows at work, not only in the Duel Disk but also in the monster before him.

_“Yugi! Let me…”_

_I can do this,_ he thought, despite the remaining fear he had in his mind, _I can defeat this. We_ must _defeat this._

“ _Aibou, you don’t have to do this alone.”_

_I’m not going to. I must defeat it...but I can’t without your help. I need you to make sure I’m ok. The monster is from the Shadows...we must be able to face it, or it won’t respond to you. I know that._

He felt Yami appear next to him, and could all but see Marik’s glee. Even controlling someone who’s personality had been wiped away, Marik apparently had enough control to see Yami and know he was there, helping.

“ _You wanted me to fight, Marik...here I am. I will fight God alongside Yugi, and we_ will _defeat you!_ ”

\--

Though he’s told where the God Card might be, the sudden pull from the one in his Deck is enough to say where it is. Kaiba frowns, though he doesn’t try to brush it off, as he would have in the past. For whatever reason, the Duel Disk holding a God Card seemed to be more in-tuned with the Shadows that Yugi and the others like him were always messing with, and while Kaiba would rather never be involved with such things again, he knew that, so long as he was the rival to Yami and Yugi, he would have to face them.

At least Hinagata managed to look up the information for him, and give him the basics of it, before this tournament. Kaiba is also glad he put a tracker on Mokuba, so they can find him easily in case the Rare Hunters or Ghouls begin to catch onto the traps they’d placed, and even while he was with the Chief of Security, Mokuba was still in danger.

He arrives at the top of the area leading to the riverside and pauses, looking down at the scene. To one side is the card called Osiris, roaring and with it’s massive length moving constantly and curling around the river and sky, as if attempting to decide what to do and chaffing at the reigns put on it. To the other is...Yugi.

Yugi Muto is a good Duelist - possibly even better than Yami, if what little Kaiba recalls of their odd relationship. Yugi was the one who knew his own Deck well enough to beat Kaiba - _had_ a Deck that could beat Kaiba’s own, as well as one that could beat a Blue Eyes back when they were so rare that only Kaiba was even playing one, let alone the three he’d managed to get. But the fact that Yugi was out front, facing the God, seemed to talk of Yugi and Yami’s ability to fight whoever they faced together or apart.

Right now, there were few ways to actually win, and Yugi appeared frustrated over something, glaring to one side as he looked back at the other Duelist. Now that Kaiba got a better look at him, the man appeared to be more like a doll, his movements mechanical as he watched, and a distorted voice coming from him as he spoke.

“ **Your other self has already given up, vessel. What hope do you think you have?** ”

“We’re still in the game,” Yugi replied back, “and we’re not giving up! Not when there is a chance!” He seemed to be speaking to someone else, silently thinking whatever it was as he glared down the God. Despite his distance, Kaiba could see him trembling, and he finally said, “If Yami is too scared to even face such a challenge, how does he expect to go up against anything else?” He can almost see the outline of where Yami is, and feels a sudden anger as he sees him kneeling, as if he’d lost all of his pride.

“Get up! You two are one the few who I recognize as true Duelists, and I’m not going to allow you to lose so miserably to someone like that! Our road and battle is not done yet.”

Yugi is quiet, waiting, and suddenly he straightens, and Kaiba sees them _change_. Yugi’s suddenly taller, his hair darker but with sudden bursts of gold in it that were never there, and his eyes go from a cool purple color to a darker red tone. He’s standing tall against God, and it’s obvious to Kaiba that he’s not taking Yugi’s place in this fight, but taking the moment to look God in the face before the change is reversed, Yugi standing there next to the ghostly figure of Yami. Marik seems to glance at Kaiba, not out of malice but with the clear intent to take him down after this is over, and the Duel begins again, Yugi seeming to consider his few cards for a moment before he played a face-down card and a shield monster. He doesn’t look phased when Osiris attacks the monster, but Kaiba is.

_What is his strategy...showing me a monster equal to my Obelisk…?_

Yugi was backed into a corner, and his other self had almost given up, meaning he meant for Kaiba to possibly say something that might help. He doubted Yugi hadn’t already figured out a strategy, but just needed his other half to get behind him on it.

The shield monster barely survived the first assault, and he suddenly saw what it was that Yugi wanted him to see.

_He hasn’t faced Obelisk, but then again, that God is uncomplicated. This one is based on the cards in the Duelist’s hands…_

_...based on our cards at hand!_

“Yami! Osiris’ claim, of having infinite power, is a lie! No power is infinite!”

\--

Yami glanced at Kaiba from where he stood, and felt his aibou’s swell of pride. It was a gamble to show Kaiba Osiris’ power, but if they didn’t win this Duel, then he would have to take on Osiris anyway, and have to deal with it’s attack strength as well as Marik’s deck.

_You see it now?_

_“I do. I never should have doubted you. I know what we must do in order to defeat Marik.”_

“Marik,” Yugi said, his voice hardly trembling, even in the face of the God, “this next turn is the last one. But be ready...because we are going to defeat Osiris!”

Marik scoffed even as Yugi placed his hand on the cards, and felt the answering pulse from the Deck.

They had won. The card they needed was right there, and somehow, Osiris knew that and wasn’t sending back any answering rage or fear to its master.

_“He wants to come to our side. He is chaffing in Marik’s control. Let’s take this God, with such a fitting name, and show Marik what someone who has true control over the Shadows does with him.”_

“I use my face-down card, Monster Reborn, to bring back Buster Blader in Attack Mode!”

The lightning strike that Osiris used on all summoned monster went into effect, Buster Blader surviving barely before Yugi attacked, the Revival Jam taking the hit right before Yugi said, “I activate my second magic-card - Brain Control.”

“ **You think you can control GOD?** ”

“No,” Yugi said with a small smile, “But I can control the Revival Jam. It can reform on my side of the field, meaning Osiris attacks, and then it reforms, and you draw three cards.”

Marik suddenly jolted, the doll going through the movements mechanically until he ran out of cards, Osiris slowly dissolving as the game came to a close.

“Osiris’ power isn’t infinite...it’s limited by the number of cards in your Deck, and when you don’t have any more, you lose.”

The doll finally slumped over, Yugi walking forward slowly as Kaiba moved down to the space. When Yami had the God Card, they could Duel and see which one was the better Duelist, the one chosen to wield both God-Cards.

Yugi was turning when the doll stuttered to life just after Osiris and the Puzzle Card was taken, getting him to suddenly change into Yami as he looked at him with disgust. “It’s over, Marik.”

“ **Do you know...I have three lovely views right now...one is me arriving at Domino, one of of you two, the other holders of the God-Cards...and the last is further into Domino, near an aquarium...your little girlfriend is doing quite well in her Duel there, Yugi.** ” He turned the head to look at Kaiba, “ **Your brother is quite enjoying the show as well, Kaiba. It would be a shame if...something...happened to them.** ”

The two froze, Yugi suddenly trying to gain control as Yami kept tight hold, not wanting Yugi to show their panic when he was doing it well enough for them. “Marik! This is between you and me! You leave them out of it!”

“ **And yet, Kaiba has been taking my men left and right, and his little brother is with the chief of security. Not to mention that your friend who’s also in this battle is here like the rest of us, with the same fate. She’s fair game, Yugi, just like little Mokuba is. I’d see about finding them...before I do.** ”

With that, the doll collapsed, Yami not even bothering to see if Kaiba followed him as he raced off, hoping it was the right direction.

A hand on his shoulder pulled him up short, and he turned to glare at Kaiba before he said, “ _Call them._ I already informed my team and they’re going to give Mokuba a call to warn him as well. _Think_ , don’t react. That’s what Marik wants.”

Yami stiffened but finally nodded, turning to at least walk as he pulled out his phone and dialed the familiar number. It rings only a few times before it’s answered by an unfamiliar voice.

“ _Yugi?_ ”

“No,” he said, hoping she didn’t hang up on him, “Yami, a...friend...of Yugi. He’s letting me use his phone right now. Where’s Jounouchi?”

“ _She’s in her final Duel. After this, she or this other guy will be in the semi-finals. Why, what’s wrong?”_

“Where is this going on? I’m heading there now.”

“ _Tell me what’s wrong. We’re going somewhere else, to meet up with another group, after this._ ”

He held back a growl of frustration, “Someone is after her and Mokuba. He should be in the crowd nearby. We need to get them somewhere safe. Where are you meeting the others?”

“ _I’m waiting on their call, and to see where the finals are being held. We’ll meet between those two places. Who’s after her and Mokuba? Is it those same guys that attacked her before?_ ”

“Yes. We’ll be there soon, unless someone or something gets in our way.”

“ _...we?_ ”

He glanced at Kaiba, who apparently was fine with not speaking his mind about anything. “Kaiba is coming as well. His men should have already alerted Mokuba. He’s with someone who can probably help.”

Layla is quiet a long moment before she tells him, “ _I’ll do everything I can to make sure they’re not hurt...but Kaiba has to apologize when this is done._ ”

“I will speak to him about it. Thank you.” He hung up, and glared at Kaiba.

“When we get there, we can talk about it,” Kaiba told him as they paused, facing down two men in their way, both in the robes of the Ghouls. “Let’s mow through these losers.”

\--

Bakura glared at his phone as it went off, after one of his final Duels. “What do you want?”

“ _The final Millennium Item will be at the Domino Aquarium with a few minutes. Go make a deal with the holder.”_

“Now why should I do that?”

“ _Because if you do, then you’ll get more information about what you seek.”_

Bakura frowned at the answer. Getting information about the items and how to open the door, or what had happened to him, _would_ be important, but he knows there’s an ulterior motive to all of this as well.

“Why should I trust this information is good? Why trust you at all?”

“ _Because I know what I’m doing. And because I also hold a Millennium Item, and I know everything. I can easily do something with it...put it in someone’s eye, for instance. That would cause pain to both of you._ ”

He growled. “You think you’re so clever.”

“ _I’ve been around a long time, Thief. I’m far better at this then you are. The Domino Aquarium...go see what you find._ ”

 


	7. The Tower (Yami and Kaiba vs. Mask of Light and Dark)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marik and Bakura make a deal. Kaiba begins to think twice about what he's been doing. Yugi and Yami are asked a question that has very different answers for the both of them.

Yugi’s race to get to the aquarium before any of Marik’s men did was a futile one, though Kaiba could guess at his panic. He’d once more pulled Jounouchi into the dangers of being friends with him, and thus far had not been able to shield her from the wrath of this particular enemy. If anything, Kaiba was certain she was only going to be targeted _because_ of her known link to Yami and Yugi. No matter what lies they told themselves, this was what happened when you got too close to people, and when they were idiot enough to run headlong into danger anyway.

He’s far more annoyed with the various groups of tag-team Ghouls who get in their way, as if that was supposed to slow down the two who had God Cards. Osiris seemed to pulse with the same anger as his owners, and even after Ishizu had given him a general idea of what the God Cards could do, he was still amazed at how Yami wielded it. It was, like Obelisk, another card in his Deck, but it was also the one that, so long as they could summon one or the other, would allow them to go through all of the opposition they ran across.

\--

_Master Marik! T-they’ve teamed up! Yugi and Kaiba, with their God Cards!_

“You apparently are having a problem,” the other holder of the Millennium Item, Bakura, said as he waited between Marik and his destination, “Should I ask?”

Marik glared at the man. He was Yugi’s age, with white hair and a dark look in his eyes, something that Marik honestly enjoyed. It was a dangerous line the two were walking, and finding someone else who was doing it because of what they were, not because of what they’d been made into, was thrilling.

“It’s none of your concern,” he said as he mentally called upon his Masked duelist. The two had been prepared just for the occasion, for while he knew that rattling Yugi’s cage would be dangerous, he also knew that doing the same with Kaiba was bordering on suicidal.

_Yugi is responsible for my father’s death and for all that happened to us. Kaiba is holding one of the two God Cards, and is trying to dismantle the followers I have for his own personal reasons._

_I am not going to leave them alone, not when my own God Card can defeat theirs so easily. I will have Yugi_ suffer _at the hands of his best friend by the time I’m done with him, and Kaiba will have no choice but to give up his crusade, if he wants his little brother back._

“I would say it is,” the white-haired man pointed out, crossing his arms, “I’m in this to gain the Millennium Items, and discover what lies beyond the door they seal.”

 _So he knows about that._ “You know a bit, but gathering them together isn’t enough. There’s an incantation you have to do as well.”

The white-haired man paused, looking a bit like an innocent young man for a moment, curious, before returning to his harder self. “I see. So she wasn’t lying.”

“She?”

He waved a hand. “If you haven’t met her, then there’s no need to know more, besides the fact that you _don’t_ cross her. Even with our Millennium Items, or even the added power of two or three, she’s far more powerful than us. Only the one wielding the Puzzle has the ability to calm her and stop her rage.”

Marik frowns at what he says, recalling a story of such a woman - the lion-headed goddess who had torn through those wishing to resurrect the Pharaoh with magic so dark it overruled _ma’at_ and would have broken the line between _duat_ and life. It was because of her and the one who had come after the cursed Pharaoh that his family had been forced into the Valley of the Kings, to protect the two Items they’d been “gifted”.

“If she’s so upsetting, why are you going against her?” he asked thoughtfully, twirling the Item in his hand. Using the Rod’s power against anyone with an Item was very hard, and using it against someone who had the _ability_ to wield an Item was even harder than those who were weak-willed or who easily fell to manipulations. Many of his Ghouls were stronger and able to think on their own, but each of them had a small trigger that, when hit, would cause them to lose their minds or allow him to take them over.

The white-haired man let out a huff. “She also possesses a Millennium Item I need for the ritual. Not to mention that crossing her is very dangerous. I know of only one person who continually tries it, and I’ve heard his minions rarely live long lives.”

Marik considers this before he finally says, “When I’m done with what I need to do, I can easily give you the Millennium Rod. Besides the Puzzle, it’s one of the most powerful Items. I’m sure that all you’ll need is your own Item and this one, and you’ll be able to face her.”

The white haired man is siletn before he said, “And for it, what do you want me to do?”

Marik smirked as he said, “I intend to kill Yugi. Everything else doesn’t matter. Help me in this, I’ll give you the Rod. Help me to turn  his friends against him, to cause him true suffering before his death...I’ll give you the location and person who holds another Item as well.”

He considered only a moment before he added, “I will need to know what you do about the ritual. If I not only help distract those that are protecting Yugi’s friends, but also work to defeat him and give you a total victory in this...you’ll give me that information as well. Deal?”

Marik looked at him and finally nodded. “Deal. Now then...how should we get their attention?”

\--

The Ghouls sent after them are easy, and Kaiba finds himself drawing the God Card he has more and more, hardly even allowing Yami to draw the new one he has as they laid waste to the duos attempting to stall them.

Despite how things were going, it worked a few times - Kaiba had to rely at times on Yami to defend him, or to make sure he didn’t die suddenly when they were facing off before either he or Yami pulled out the card that ended the match. It helped allow him to learn Yami’s deck, but he also knew it was putting him at a disadvantage, as Yami and Yugi were learning his own as well. It only means that they will have to work harder, when they finally go up against each other, to defeat the other one and claim the title of King of Games after this tournament.

_The image of the old Egyptian fresco, with him and Yami in royal colors, Dueling with the Blue Eyes and the Dark Magician, as behind them rose Alcatraz Tower and, atop it, a darker evil awaited to be defeated…_

Kaiba put the memory of that to the back of his head as they walked, nearing the area they were heading towards. He didn’t need to be reminded of the influence the Items had on this game, or what was going on. He didn’t want to remember that it was a holder of a Millennium Item that had him start this tournament and begin to work on trapping the Ghouls, or what Yami had said about the one who’d threatened Mokuba and Jounouchi.

 _You’re not supposed to think about that mutt._ He stopped himself at that...he had no reason to be so cruel to her beyond admitting her own stupidity. She had no say over who she came from, only her decision to join into the tournament when she had no right to (at this point, she was one of many, and possibly the only one doing well) and that she would have only herself to blame if they didn’t make it to the aquarium in time to save her.

“Kaiba,” Yami said as he slowed, “we need to hurry. Jounouchi is in danger!”

“She’s always in danger around you,” he said, his annoyance making him careless with how he spoke and his anger at the situation only causing him to lash out at them both. “Mokuba was at least safe before he decided to go cheer her on, but you pushing her into the tournament only put them _both_ in danger.”

Yami glared at him. “I didn’t _push_ her to anything. She didn’t think she would be able to join the tournament, and the man who put her in was after the Red-Eyes Black Dragon she had. If anything, it’s because _you_ put in that ante-rule that she was ever shoved into the danger and that she’s had to deal with all of the trouble anyway!” He takes in a breath, looking away from Kaiba before saying, “We have to get to the Aquarium, and we don’t have time for this.”

Kaiba quickened his stride to pull him back, and glaring at Yami as he grabbed his arm and turned him, surprised at how angry he was at Yami saying it was his fault that Jounouchi was in danger. It wasn’t his fault that she was idiotic enough to go and announce such a thing!

_You put it as part of this battle._

Yami glared at him, his red-purple eyes leveling at him before he pulled his hand away to look at him. “Unless you plan on telling me _how_ this is my fault--.”

“The fresco,” he finally said, glaring at Yami, “that woman, Ishtar, showed it to me and said I should have a tournament to ensure it came to pass. Had I know it would mean such things entered this city, I would have told her no.” He straightened to his full height, towering over Yami as he growled out, “Not to mention the one threatening my brother and your _friend_ is here because they want to get some undefined revenge against _you_.”

Yami didn’t even flinch at the accusations, instead saying softly, “Pegasus was after me as well because of that…are you blaming me for him deciding to take over your company as well?”

Kaiba frowned at that, not wanting to back down. “If you want to take the blame, I can always heap it on for you putting me in a coma in order to ‘teach me about myself’.”

Yami’s dark eyes showed no sign of backing down from this fight. “Was that before or after you not only _stole_ from me, but also attempted to _kill us_ and drive your own brother insane?” Kaiba flinched at the memory - he had no excuses, and while Mokuba had forgiven him, pointing out that he’d been stupid enough to take the risk when he’d known it, and had not been the nicest person himself, Kaiba still hated that he’d done that and had tormented his brother as he had.

Yami didn’t seem ready to take the blame on himself either, instead saying, “I have done many worse things than put someone into a coma. Your company survived it, but the five men that were loyal to the man that started it were the ones who went to Pegasus. You cannot and will not blame me for that, because if I _hadn’t_ done it, you would have turned into that man you so despise.”

Kaiba glared at him, uneased by the declaration, before saying, “And in this? Against Marik and his talks of what you did?”

Yami looks at him before saying, “Marik’s choices are his own. He threatens me and when that doesn’t work, he threatens my aibou’s friends, the ones that I care about. But he wouldn’t be here if not for you and your push for a tournament with rare cards to lure in his Ghouls and Rare Hunters, or for the thing that Ishizu showed us both. But even before this, something you said to her made her act the way she had, and I don’t care if you believe it was the truth, I don’t like it when someone so hurts a person I care about.”

Kaiba scoffed at that. “Oh? _You_ care about her? Not just that she’s a friend of Yugi, but that she’s your friend as well? Does that mean you know that her sister was moved to some inferior place to care for invalids because her mother is a vindictive bitch? Do you know that she’s here and spent half her time fighting against the ones you easily defeated at Duelist Kingdom, and is dressing like she’d rather be a boy than a girl? That chip on her shoulder from being a ‘gamer’ girl seems to have gone from her reminding us that she’s a girl to reminding us that she would rather be a boy.”

For a brief moment, he saw both Yugi and Yami, and how angry they were, then Yami told him, “Did you tell her all that, or do you simply assume that being angry at her for being herself and...distracting...you will be enough?”

Kaiba glared back at him. “Please. Jounouchi couldn’t count for a distraction if that Kujaku woman she’s hanging around actually gave her an outfit.”

“She didn’t have to,” Yami said with a dark smirk, as if he’d caught Kaiba in a trap sequence, “I remember your look from when we were in the virtual world and the only outfit she had was that bikini. She was quite fetching, wasn’t she? Even Mokuba noticed.”

Kaiba turned, hating that low tactic. “I don’t have time to listen to this.”

“You stopped me from continuing on,” Yami pointed out as he half-turned, ready to go to the Aquarium, “and decided to insult Jounouchi for your own reasons. She is her own person, and all you mentioned was something that my aibou knew already. What I and he are so upset over is that you decided, when she so obviously needed someone to at least help her, or to tell her that she wasn’t the type of person her mother so believed her to be, that instead you insulted her and said she didn’t understand the danger she was going into. She’s been in a Shadow game before, and she’s seen the results of it, Kaiba. One does not need to experience something to sympathize or even understand what has happened, and I am going to do my best to ensure she _doesn’t_ experience her soul being so used by someone maliciously wielding an Item like that.” He turned and stalked off, leaving Kaiba to glare at his retreating back before walking quickly to catch up.

The moment he was in step with Yami, though, someone leaped at him, causing Kaiba to reflexively hold up his arm, expecting a hit or something painful, but instead there was a series of clicks and then a maniacal laugh.

“Got you, Kaiba,” the man in a half-moon mask with a grinning face said from near them, the short man snickering as Kaiba looked over to see something attached to his Duel Disk. _What the hell…?_ It was obviously made out of an old construction, or out of something that had been put together quickly, and he glared at the man as he said, “Well, now you can’t reach your dragon _or_ the God-Card, meaning you two cannot advance until you face me and the other Mask in a Duel.” He pointed to the skyscraper. “If you don’t, you lose your Deck, and your chance to save your brother and Yugi’s little girlfriend. Master Marik is already before them...it’s only a matter of moments if he wants to take them for himself.”

Anger - at the threat, at the indignation of being so trapped - and fear - about Mokuba, about how he’d said that Jounouchi didn’t know what happened and now remembering what happened to the other ‘puppet’ he’d seen before it collapsed, about the report of the other Ghouls who lost their minds after they lost and their Master Marik destroyed them...He was ready to kill the man before him, and he felt Yami’s own anger rise, but in a controlled way, as if he was doing his best to keep calm before the Shadows that Obelisk and Osiris controlled rose up uncontrolled.

“Kaiba,” he said simply, his voice hard as the man raced off into the building, “Calm down, and think.”

“ _THINK?_ ” he exploded, “They threatened Mokuba, they said that...that…” The memory of Mokuba, standing soulless beside Pegasus, of his fear when Kaiba found him in that cell…

“And if you don’t _calm down_ ,” Yami growled out, “then you run the risk of being overcome by Shadows and that dark side inside of you that will never leave.” Kaiba is quiet, looking at him. “The man who so abused you and left you a company upon his suicide left a stain upon your soul, Kaiba. If you do not reign in your anger and fear over what could happen to them, over what will happen, you will fall into that attitude you had when you set up Death-T.”

It stops him short, and he glares at Yami. “What do you propose, then? That we don’t go?”

“We need to go,” he said, “but you need to remember that this is a _double duel_. This isn’t going to be like the others. They will be ready for us, and we will have to work together.”

Kaiba snorted. “I don’t work with others.”

“Tough,” Yugi’s voice sounded, getting him to look over as Yami remained, looking almost pleased with his other side.

“Your Deck is balanced but also overly strong, still ready to fight and defeat everyone as quickly as possible. The problem is that it’s not built for long-term battles...mine is. We will have to use that to our advantage.”

“Meaning?”

Yami let go of his arm and motioned to the large building. “Meaning no matter what we do, we have something that can and will win this. We have two God Cards, the two who are equal to each other. We can deal with these upstarts easily.”

He looked at Yami, and some part of his mind added that, after this was done, they would be even. After that, they could find the ones threatened, and finish this game without owing each other any favors.

_If that third-rate Duelist girl can fight alongside him, I can as well._

With a nod, the two headed for the top of the tower.

\--

Bakura is not surprised that he’s asked to distract some of the players in the Aquarium - he knows it will be easy enough to get that woman to come with him, especially when she was the one who gave him the instructions. The only problem now will be if they take away the Chief of Security or not.

“If you touch Mokuba’s mind, Kaiba will not be so forgiving,” Bakura told him, “and I doubt the Mistress of Dread will even allow you to touch Jounouchi then.”

Marik frowns at him. “I didn’t know _she_ was here.”

Bakura snorted. “Of course she is...the pharaoh is here, you don’t think his protector wouldn’t be around as well? She’s got a better idea of where the Puzzle is, and how to deal with the man from the other side of the Valley.” Bakura wrinkled his nose in disgust - Shadii always brought out the worst in him, but then again, the man was an idiot and power-hungry. Even if Bakura wanted the dark power on the other side of that door, he also knew it was just as likely that he ran into Death instead. He could handle that, as could his other side.

Marik is silent a moment before he says, as if contemplating something. “I don’t brainwash children.”

 _That has a story behind it,_ his other side thought briefly, feeling sorry for him, and Bakura had to admit, the other man before him looked almost innocent and upset over everything before he said, “Then I can get rid of one, and you can take on the Chief and hold Mokuba hostage.”

Marik is quiet a moment before he said, “I have enough Ghouls that I don’t need to keep bothering with that. Besides, I would rather Kaiba think his brother was abandoned by those sent to protect him, than seeing someone like that. I know about what happened at Duelist Kingdom.”

Bakura is quiet, and wonders if Marik actually got that information from Shadii or from his control over the Shadows. Either way, he smirks as he pulls out a switch blade. “Let’s begin, then.”

\--

Kaiba’s bristling anger still burns as they reach the top, and especially after the rules are explained for the twisted double duel they’re supposed to partake in. Yami knows he has to be careful, but his own anger at what was threatened, not to mention his indignation that Marik and the Ghouls were continually targeting him through those he considered friends, or at least those he could consider friends, and while he was angry at Kaiba for his attitude towards Jounouchi, he also wanted him alive and _sane_ so he could apologize to her when they found her and stopped Marik’s plans for her.

He also knew that the two facing against him, for all their mention that the Decks they had were synced and couldn’t be defeated, were only boasting. It was something he planned on showing them as he looked at the two and considered what to do with the Mask of Restrict on their side of the field.

 _There are ways to summon high-level monsters onto the field,_ he knew, and he knew most of Kaiba’s Deck inside and out. His only issue was making sure that he didn’t ruin whatever strategy Kaiba had while running his own based on what he and Yugi knew.

Kaiba’s semi-antagonistic and annoyed attitude at least let him realize a few things. For all Kaiba’s anger, he was good enough to put that aside for this Duel. It still worried him, though - the Shadows, as well as Obelisk and Osiris being so close and with Duelists they respected and would fight for, was going to fuel some of the darker emotions when around ones who were obviously influenced by an Item. Kaiba’s attitude earlier towards teamwork obviously showed that his anger had started to override his reason, but now...it appeared he realized what they were facing, and what would be needed to fight.

 _I only hope his feelings don’t suddenly change when we need to deal with these two_ , Yami thought as the Blue Eyes roared to life behind Kaiba, the Light-monster seeming to pull out a bit of his arrogance, but also shine through his darker emotions as it coiled protectively around it’s master. The field had yet to really show the effect of the Archfiend he’d sent to the field, and taunting Kaiba’s arrogance and fear of losing allowed them the advantage for the moment.

“Kaiba…” he said when he felt Kaiba’s eyes on him, “ _that_ is the power of unity, of teamwork.”

He knew it well - his Item was the Puzzle, a thing only drawn and put together by one who could unify pieces that were hard to figure out, and who would not give up, no matter what the odds or how hard things had gotten. His Soul Room, the labyrinth, was one that could only be easily worked and understood by many, or by one looking at it from another angle. Labyrinths allowed people to look into themselves, to wander and figure things out, or to trap dark secrets that sometimes required a strong, willing person to fight, but not without help.

He can see that Kaiba is becoming convinced, though it’s hard for him to accept it. Even if his monster, the one that he truly calls his own, is a Light monster, his own pride and the years of having to do everything alone, of being told that only by himself can he really do anything, has obviously made it hard for him to realize how bad things could get without someone to help. Kaiba would aid anyone who helped him, and right now, Yugi could see the darkness from the anger fading as more and more, Yugi’s cards and his own worked together. Yugi’s and his worked to counteract and balance out a fight - Kaiba’s were strong and would do their best to take down any and all life points the Masked duelists had.

But they could also reverse roles in a way the Masked duelists couldn’t - his monsters were just as strong and able as Kaiba’s, and Kaiba seemed to be thinking quickly before he nodded, almost to himself.

\--

Kaiba heard Gozaburo’s mantra about power in his mind, heard it in that man’s harsh voice, heard the flick of a switch that he sometimes used to emphasize the words he wanted Kaiba to remember, or to motivate him as he forced Kaiba to study, hour after hour, so he could ‘catch up’ with where he should have been.

_Everyone else is your enemy!_

Yami and Yugi had done their best, even fighting him, to defend him against himself.

_Your own strength, your own power, is the **weapon** you use to crush your foes and protect your domain!_

Yet...his own power was not enough to do that. Yami had shown that twice, and Pegasus had shown that painfully. Now, facing down men that were supposed to be two that could and would destroy them and send them hurtling down thirteen stories to their deaths, Yugi and Yami’s power was to aid him, no matter what.

_You can only count on yourself, like anything in life!_

But he was now counting on Yugi and Yami, on their ability as well as his own, on his ability to read when men began to fight amongst themselves, and on the people at KaibaCorp to find Mokuba and Jounouchi, to ensure their protection…

_I cannot simply do this alone. If I do this alone, that is to push away Mokuba, and Hinagata, and that bubbly annoying friend of his who can hack better than I can, or all of the others. That is to say that I am not part of this larger world, that my actions haven’t been a reason for Jounouchi to be in danger…_

_Even if she hadn’t been here, she would have been in danger. Even if Mokuba was kept at KaibaCorp, there’s no guarantee that someone wouldn’t lure him out._

The Blue Eyes hisses from near him, and he remembers her ultimate form - a form from combining three Blue Eyes, the only three in existence. The only way to summon the God cards they have, with these rules, is to give up three monsters of lower rank, or three tokens.

 _And the power of unity can mean doing something on your own...if it means it advances the two of us._ He glared at the Mask of Darkness, and his face-down card. Unity meant you knew your partner, or the one you were forced to partner with. He knew Yami’s strategy for the most part, and knew he could and would catch on quickly to anything that Kaiba did. He was smart, and had a mind for games like chess or other, more difficult games of the sort. He would get Kaiba’s new strategy, seeing the beginning break in the unity the two had thought they had.

 _They are here with two decks that, as one, would be more powerful and might present a threat. Instead, they act as their own agents, and only unite when they need a stronger monster, or to taunt us. Yami will defend me because he’s invested too much in me being a better anything - rival, person, whoever - and because he cannot face the thought of me dying. I will defend him because he is my rival, and it is_ my _job to defeat him!_

Unity...if it had just been Kaiba himself, would he have sought out Gozaburo? Would he have challenged him, if it hadn’t been for Mokuba? _Without the ones with me now, KaibaCorp would have fallen back...I won’t allow that. I will not be like that man, I will no longer take what he taught me as the only way to do things!_

Kaiba knew he had no reason to believe Gozaburo’s lies anymore - all that he’d learned from the man had only left himself or Mokuba or even KaibaCorp open to attacks. His mind worked right before he realized something.

_Magnet warriors…_

If he was right, then they had a monster who could defeat anything the Masked duelists brought out...and which would allow him to break the Mask of Restrict.

\--

Losing the Blue Eyes made Kaiba upset, but it didn’t take long for him to calm and look at the situation, no matter what. It took a moment, Yami watching as he saw his mind working out what Yugi had already figured out himself. Even without knowing every card, he was wary of the one they’d summoned and how the two looked, as well as knowing what could come of it.

But the darkness was still around Kaiba, and it made Yami want to ensure that he wasn’t lost to such a dark thing. Whatever was motivating Marik, it was obvious that a deeper darkness was coming from it. He could see it also in Bakura and the spirit of the Ring, the darker half of Bakura and the evil intelligence that lived within.

He saw it the moment Kaiba understood what he wanted to see, and as the shadows suddenly banished from Kaiba altogether as he looked up at the two men, his eyes devoid of the anger and revenge, as it focused instead on what they needed to do. If they finished this, Yami knew they could and would be able to get to Jounouchi and the rest sooner.

It also meant they were in the finals, and from there, they could easily reach the final destination, as well as what the frescos had showed them at the beginning of all this.

“Yami,” he finally said, “attack.”

Yami smiled, and started the attack that would summon the God Obelisk the moment it was the Mask’s turn.

Obelisk’s form was imposing, rising above them like the towering monuments it was named after, and easily slamming into the Mask of Darkness before an explosion sent him away, descending down as a parachute opened and he slowed his fall. Kaiba looked pleased with his work, and the two glared at the remaining Mask before the Shadows twisted and the man let out a scream, Marik’s appearance making them both stop and glare.

“ _Thank you for entertaining my men...it’s given me time to decide on what to do, and to see the wielder of Obelisk,_ ” the minion looked at Kaiba. “ _Make no mistake...Obelisk and Osiris are no match for_ my _God Card. RA is the ultimate card, the ultimate power, and will not bow to either of you._ ”

The puppet looked back to Yami, Yugi’s worry and fear for their friends beginning to leak into his own fears as Marik said, “ _I’ve set up a special treat for you as well, Yugi. The final act, the revenge of the tomb keepers, that will end in tragedy no matter what you do. Your friend and Kaiba’s little brother are waiting for you both to arrive...this will be my best puppet-show yet._ ”

_NO! Jounouchi!_

Kaiba is silent, working on something, before he kneels and takes the four puzzle cards then looks back up at him.

“Kaiba, where--.”

“We’re both in the semi-finals,” he said, slowly standing and putting the six cards into the Duel Disk, “and we now know the location of it.”

Yami glared at him, not caring about this tournament, his aibou’s soul flashed with impatience and anger, as Kaiba turned and said, “You and I both know that we must fight to protect what is important to us. Alone or with allies, we do this on our own terms...but with Marik’s power, he can turn your friends against you.” He glared at him as a helicopter sounded in the distance. “Can you move forward if the only path is to beat your friends at this life-and-death stake that he’s playing at? Can you really trample over her on your way to destiny, to regaining your own agency?”

If he won this tournament, he would have the means to that – to gain control over his own destiny. He doubts Kaiba will do much but ‘lend’ him the cards, allow him and Yugi to be their own persons, then simply fight them in each tournament, using the God Cards as he used the Blue Eyes. His only fear in this was the darkness waiting for the winner of the Duel, and what that would mean to Kaiba, facing another Item that could possibly hold a darker and more sinister power than the Eye, not to mention that Ra would also be there for him to face.

If Jounouchi gained control, she would be much the same, though the lending would be less of a grudging understanding that the cards were meant for Yami to use to regain his name and the rest of his Soul so he might send it to the Afterlife, and more in order to make Yugi happy. Marik, the one they were facing, would kill them all.

Kaiba waited as the helicopter came closer, and as Yugi fretted and worried and screamed his frustration and anger and fear at the waiting. However, it was a question that Yami _needed_ to answer.

_If the only way forward is through Jounouchi…not like in the Duelist Kingdom, where she gave me the way to the throne, but to actually face her down, knowing she’s not herself but being controlled, being unable to reach her…can I do that? Can I be so cruel? Can I do something like that?_

Yugi’s answer was despair, and hatred of such a question. Yami knew that, ultimately, Yugi would do his best to spare Jounouchi. Yami’s only question is if he would…if he wouldn’t simply do as he had when demanded to fight Kaiba in Pegasus’ castle, if when only _himself_ was at stake, if he could push to win.

“I don’t know,” he answered truthfully, “but you know where I’ll find out that answer, Kaiba.”

Kaiba nods as the helicopter appears with a tall man, wearing a security uniform and looking worse for wear, as if he’d been attacked by something. He gets out and stumbles as the helicopter lands, looking upset and unnerved.

“Sir…sir, I’m sorry--.”

“Hinagata says he’ll fill us in on the trip to where Jounouchi is,” Kaiba pointed out, looking the security man over, “You did what you could. I won’t fire you for being unable to take down a mob.”

The Chief of Security looks grateful before glancing at the unconscious Ghoul. “I’ll deal with these ones, Kaiba-san. Go save Mokuba and that girl…she did her best to get him to run, but…” he shook his head. “I dunno what happened, sir. I just know they got him somehow.”

Kaiba is silent, obviously upset at the news, then says, “Come. We’ll head to where they’re waiting for us, and see if we can answer that question.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was planning on doing more, but between a visit with family, no real internet access, and a sudden dive in my muses' ability for even NaNo, that means only one chapter with mild cliffhanger! Next time we shall find out what happened to everyone, and how the dreaded Duel goes for Yami and Yugi and Jounouchi...


	8. The Devil (Possessed!Jounouchi vs. Yami)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jounouchi and Mokuba are found, but the stakes are raised as Marik's power has turned her against Yami. Anzu, Shizuka, Varon and Otogi get nearer to their goal, but will they arrive in time or be of any real help? The mind-rape warning applies for this chapter and the next.   
> Also Kaiba is yelled at by various people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit shorter due to how everything went for Marik taking over Jounouchi, and because most of the focus seems to be on Yugi breaking through to get to Jounouchi. Also my muses decided to run away and I only recently coaxed them back. Hopefully this will at least let me keep my schedule, but for now I only have a chapter to give.

The Duel was a fairly straightforward one, with Mako and Katsuye managing to deal damage to each other before Katsuye’s luck turned around and she won, Mokuba happily cheering as they went up to congratulate her and Mako handed over one of his prized cards, Katsuye looking at him oddly before she said to him, “If it helps, man. You don’t need to give it to me.”

“I want to. I need to find my own strength, and besides,” he grinned foolishly as he said, “I should be able to make up enough money to get my own boat! Best catch I get, I’ll give to you.”

She laughed, happy at the promise, and nodded before taking the card. “I’ll take good care of it, Mako. Don’t you worry.”

Mokuba raced up to hug her, Chief Itonokogiri smiling a big as they introduced themselves to Layla and Mokuba said, “Ok, you’re in the finals! Let’s go outside and find out where it’s gonna be - even Nii-sama didn’t know where it was!”

Katsuye snorted at that, finally saying, “I suppose I’ll give him credit for actually Dueling his way into his own finals, instead of being as arrogant as the last jerk.” She smiled as they headed out, about to put the cards into her Duel Disk when someone weakly said, “J-Jou…”

“Bakura!” she said, racing up to check on him as he was held but a tanned man who looked very worried as well. Bakura was hardly standing, a deep cut in his upper arm slowly bleeding out from the makeshift bandage that was tied around his arm. Layla and the others quickly raced up, the Chief and Mokuba calling for medical support as Layla said, “I’ll take him there. Knowing Mai, she’s got six cards already, so she can get the others to the meeting place.”

Katsuye nodded, checking over Bakura again as the Chief said, “I’ll come as well. Mokuba, let’s get going.”

Mokuba looked worriedly at Katsuye before saying, “I’ll stay with Katusye. We’re all going to the same place, and the medical area isn’t too far from here.”

The Chief looked dubious before nodding, getting a car for the three before heading off, the man with them smiling a bit in relief. “I’m glad I was able to find his friends.”

Katsuye narrowed her eyes at him, though she smiled a bit as she said, “Who are you, anyway? Another Duelist?”

“I’m Namu. We were Dueling when these guys in robes attacked us. One of them...I guess they got desperate, because the next thing I knew, Bakura was bleeding and--.”  
Katsuye didn’t relax at that, though she frowned as she said, “You’re lucky, then, if they ran off right after that. They’re bad news.”

Namu looked a bit shy about that, saying, “I guess. I’m glad you were here to help out.”

Katsuye gave him a smile before turning to Mokuba, who seemed intent on the guy and almost ready to offer him his friendship. “Let’s get going. We need to get to the meeting area for Battle City.”

Mokuba cheered, happily following along as Namu raced up to catch them. “Wait, what about your friends?”

“The chief already knows where the finals are,” Mokuba said happily.

“Layla wanted to meet up with some people before we made it there,” Katsuye said as well, “I’m not sure where, though. How far are you from the finals?”

“Oh, I have a few cards,” he said, again almost sheepishly and with a heavily accented Japanese that said he’d not really practiced that well, or was used to some other type of language, “but I guess I’m not quite as good as you are.”

“It’s all in getting a good Deck built and getting the best cards you can,” she tells him, “or getting lucky. My skill is in building, but I’m just lucky for the most part.”

Namu seemed impressed and finally said, “Well, I should get going. It was nice to meet you...um…”

“Jounouchi Katsuye,” she said, then added, “This is Mokuba - don’t mind him, he’s just a brat.”

“Hey!” Mokuba protested as Katsuye ruffled his hair, looking annoyed and curious as to why she was giving out so little information to the guy.

Namu waved again before leaving, the two walking a short way before Katsuye ducked into a small, secluded alley. “What’s going on?” Mokuba asked, worried as she got him in front of her, walking quickly through the narrow alley and then down another before she whispered to him, “I don’t trust that guy, or what happened to Bakura.”

“But...but isn’t Bakura your friend?”

“Yeah, when he’s not wearing the Millennium Item he got, and not when I know a self-inflicted wound when I see it.”

Mokuba had almost frozen at the mention of a Millennium Item, and managed to whisper, “I have a tracker...all of the Duel Disks have trackers, but some of them were overridden. But...I mean, someone has to be watching us.” He quickly turns and takes her hand, looking over the Duel Disk before finding something and pressing it. “Ok, no matter what, they’ll find you.”

She glances up in time to see the familiar robes as they hear the Chief’s voice over Mokuba’s small communicator. “Mokuba-chan, where--.”

“RUN!” Katsuye yelled, picking him up and racing out of the alley and into another. The plus side to having lived in Domino and worked or fought all over it - she knew where to turn when the other guys didn’t.

“Chief, hurry back! The Rare Hunters are after us!”

“I’m on my way!” the Chief said quickly, Katsuye turning another corner into a long, tight alley that had them moving sideways down it before she yanked open a door, pulling Mokuba along so fast he almost didn’t see or hear the shouts of various men and women as they passed, one man motioning something to Katsuye before he went to lock the door or block the guys coming after them. They make it out and almost down the street before more of the robed men are around them, trying to get to them.

They manage to duck away, the Chief trying to call to them as Mokuba ducks one attempt to grab him but after running as far and fast as he can, hearing Katsuye tell him _keep going, get out of here, I got them,_ he suddenly finds himself lost, with the tracker as the Chief is lost and Hinagata says, “ _I got a tracker on you both, Mokuba. You’ll be fine. I got your loc--_ ”

A huge man, white lines tracing out scars of some sort of Egyptian symbols that have him backing away in terror, remembering the ones in Pegasus’ dungeon, his head bald save for a black knot of hair that was barely visible, his eyes sharp and dark and dangerous, stands in front of him, the purple robe of a Rare Hunter on him...and a golden item with a familiar eye in his hand. He holds it up and says, one simple word, “Sleep.”

\--

The fight is short, and despite her prowess in fighting, and the call from the Chief as he attempts to help and gets his ass handed to him by this big punk, holding Mokuba under one arm and the odd, gold-colored Item in the other. The jerks who managed to get a good hold on her have her a bit away from the main road, a few carrying the Chief and, after a glance to the taller man, proceed to try to beat the crap out of the poor guy as Katsuye struggles only a bit.

It’s hard - they have her arm at an angle that keeps her from really moving without having to either dislocate something or be in a great amount of pain, and they’re holding her in such a way that she knows they’ll do their best to not harm her, but if she tries to escape, she’ll probably have to leave Mokuba behind because she can’t carry him with a dislocated shoulder or even a broken arm.

The big man with the knife scars and the Item looks her over with barely-contained malice and disinterest before he says, “Hold her still.”

She threw out as much English curse words as she knew, and some Japanese ones, as he hands Mokuba over to one of the other men to hold onto as the ones that had been beating up the Chief come back, looking victorious for beating up a downed man. The leader doesn’t even blink at her curses, instead raising the rod-thing up, so that she’s facing the strange eye-like thing, a hand coming up to grab her hair painfully and hold her head in place as he says, “You will do as I say.”

That got out the start of a curse before some dark thing seemed to push her down. She fought and screamed, surprised when the sound didn’t reach her ears and how disoriented she felt. She fought against the pressured darkness, screaming again in pain as it seemed to pull her further and further in on herself and grabbed at her thoughts and memories, yanking at them and putting in hard on them, as if putting hooks or something into them and pulling around until they held her tight like a marionette.

Pain, worse than a broken limb or a badly timed insult, blossomed in her as she began to feel the dark thing pull at her mind, as if trying to tear it apart, trying to find every dark thought in her. She screamed as it swept through her, shoving forward all of her dislike and distrust of Yami, of what he did to Yugi, and twisting in, harder and harder, until it then pulled out the last talk with her mother, the last time Kaiba had done anything nice to her before he decided to remind her of what he really thought of her, and she felt herself go lax and quiet under the onslaught.

\--

The Chief is still nervous, looking upset despite the fact that he also looks like he should be getting medical attention. Ren and Hinagata are working hard to get surveillance on what went on, but ‘something’ is interfering with that.

Yami is quiet only a moment before he says, “It’s easy enough to use the Millennium Items to disrupt the senses...that includes anything involving electronics. I’m more worried about the others...Layla and the rest.

“Naunet-san stayed with that kid who got hurt,” the Chief told them, “and she said she had to go and meet up with some friends too, if everyone was in danger.”

“ _She ran into Kujaku-san a few minutes ago. Kujaku-san registered as well - she’s one of the finalists for Battle City,”_ Ren told them as they heard the sound of her fingers flying over keyboards, “ _That makes five known finalists--_ ” she stopped and seemed surprised at something. “ _Sorry, I mean seven finalists thus far.”_

“Seven?”

“ _Two others just gained their final cards, but--”_

 _“But,”_ Hinagata cut in, sounding less breathless, “ _one of them registered no cards, then six. The other registered at least twelve._ ”

“Find out who is letting them get away with this,” Kaiba growled into the speaker, “I will _not_ have this tournament fall to those bottom-feeders.”

“ _We’re on it,”_ Ren told him, “ _but I don’t like how thing is shaping up, boss. I mean, both Mokuba and Jounouchi’s signals are from near the docks, and the satellite images I can pull up shows that area as pretty deserted for some reason…_ ”

Silence fell as Yami tenses, doing his best to calm himself as his aibou down as Kaiba told the young lady over the line, “Focus on seeing what you can do, and keeping the others safe. We’ll take care of the Ghouls holding those two.”

“ _....you’re not gonna be mean to Jounouchi again, are you?_ ”

“ _REN!_ ”

Yami glanced over at Kaiba, who looked annoyed at being called out in such a way, as Kaiba finally said, “No, by all means, say what you want to say, Ren.”

“ _...well, since I’m apparently fired anyway, you were a complete dick to her at the hospital, you’ve been a jerk and acted like a fool, and she deserves way better than you if you’re going to keep acting like that around her just because you think either you’re not good enough for her or she’s not. Also, if you don’t help her out or if you continue to act like that around her, Kujaku-san will_ kick your ass _.”_

There was a long stretch of silence before Hinagata said, “ _We’ll keep looking from here. Also, she’s part of my staff, so I’m disciplining Ren for not being nice and showing respect to authority figures._ ”

“Very well.”

“ _...but if you_ do _say something bad to her, and Kujaku-san kicks your ass, believe me that there is no way you’ll get that video off the internet. Just...fair warning._ ”

Kaiba glared at the speaker as Yami gave a small smile. “I see you’ve become the object of match-making in your company.”

“They don’t know what they’re talking about, and I’d rather they not act like they do,” Kaiba said, crossing his arms, “It’s not their business who I date, or even who I speak to.”

Yami glances at him, the smile fading, as he adds, “But they also know you said something to Jounouchi, something that has angered her.” The dark silence and Kaiba’s answer prompted Yami to continue, “The Shadows feed on whatever they are given. Often, that means darkness, or the darker emotions. That’s why I had to calm you down before that last Duel - you now carry a card that has the power of the Shadows with it. That means some of the cards will show more personality.”

“What does this have to do with Jounouchi?”

“The Shadows come from the Items, as far as I know,” Yami said, holding his own that hung around the neck he shared with Yugi, “and each can focus on one thing, but the main focus is the mind, and how we perceive things. Depending on the strength and conviction of the soul, they can resist the attempts of anyone who is able to wield a Millennium Item...but ultimately, the Shadows always win.” He shifted in his seat, looking uncomfortable. “I work with Yugi, but others are overpowered by the Shadows, or by their desires, if there is no dangerous darkness within the Item.”

“Meaning what?” the Chief finally asked.

“Meaning no matter how strong the person, no matter how well they know themselves, it only takes a small bit, the tiniest hint of darkness, for a wielder of an Item to get into their mind and do what they will. Essentially, no one is able to defend against it.” He glanced back at Kaiba, his eyes showing his anger at him as he added, “Jounouchi has been hurting and angry for a long time, angrier now than before, because of what _you_ said to her and what has happened in her life. A kind word may have at least made the hope of her coming out of this with her mind and soul not feeling violated possible.”

Kaiba glared out the window, not bothering to look at him. “Are you done blaming me for whatever danger she’s gotten herself into over being _your_ friend? You said so yourself - Shadows attack any dark spots. She’s had a rough life - my saying the truth to her did not result in her being any less or more vulnerable.”

“Dark spots that last years are dangerous, yes,” Yami said, “but it’s the new ones that are gateways.” He paused, holding his own Item, and said, as if upset that he had to admit such a thing, “For all that the Items are different, many hold similar powers. A puzzle is both a thing that comes together through unity, and one that can be many places and things at once. A Rod is only a symbol of power, a symbol of authority over a person. Had I been so inclined, I could have easily put pieces of myself into all my friends, and that would make finding them, and keeping the Shadows away from them, easy, because they would have been parts of my power. It would also have eaten away at their minds, just as I began to do so with Yugi, before we realized our power together. Not to mention, Jounouchi held onto a piece of the puzzle, a very important piece, during an important time for Yugi and I. She still has the ability for me to easily overpower her will and make her do what I wish, when I wish it.”

Kaiba is silent, and looks at Yami by his reflection, noting how tired he looks. “Even then, when I was at my worse, I couldn’t do such a thing to her. The dark spots then were multitude, Kaiba, and recently, they’ve been less and less. You say that it’s my fault because she is my friend - it’s not, we are hardly friends outside of knowing and caring for Yugi. You say it’s my fault because of the Item - I told you before that all of the Items are drawn here, and she’s faced each one knowing what they could do, as much as you do. But I have never told her something that left such an opening so her mind and soul could be so harmed by one wishing to do harm, or left her open to taking the types of risks she may take after this, in order to pull herself together again. That is all on you, Kaiba, and if anything happens to her because of that, I will not forgive you.”

Kaiba is quiet at that, and finally states, his tone bitter. “I told her what I saw as the truth. If she cannot accept it, I don’t see why I must continue to take the blame for it.”

\--

The train was a bit slow, but Anzu doesn’t mind, as it gives them a chance to relax and also gives Shizuka the time to get used to them. Otogi spends most of the trip flirting with some of the girls who pass by, while Varon spends it talking to Shizuka and Anzu and glaring at Otogi for the flirting. Anzu wonders if the flirting thing is because Honda didn’t return his text earlier, and while she normally wouldn’t bother them about it, something about the situation, as well as about how Honda had spoken to Katsuye, makes her want to slap them both and tell them to stop being such idiots.

She’s debating doing the same to Kaiba, once they get back to Domino. How someone who’s so smart and able to run a company so well is _such an idiot_ she will never know. She could get Katsuye’s reactions, if what Honda said and what Shizuka claimed were right, but Kaiba was just...just…

Anzu had grown up in a nice household, but that didn’t stop her from knowing all the ways to tell someone to get lost or risk a kick in the groin. Her mother blamed that on a rather unorthodox dance teacher who’d taught Anzu as much as she could early in life, including the fact that men sometimes needed to be hit in order to see how stupidly they were behaving.

She kicked Otogi’s shins the next time he attempted to flirt with another passenger who had declined his attempts before, getting him to glare at her as Varon chuckled and told Shizuka what happened, explaining it in overly detailed length that got Otogi to blush and mutter about them.

It got Shizuka to smile, at least, and Anzu was glad for that. She’d been quiet and almost brooding, the exact opposite of her sister when it came to finding out anything about her family or what was going on.

The sound of a phone vibrating draws their attention to Varon, who answers it after checking the screen. “Layla, how are things going?”

There was a long bit of silence, as Varon’s face went from happy to fell, and he shook his head. “W-wait, wait, what? Layla, slow down, what’s going on? What do you mean someone took--hold on, what?”

Anzu stiffened at the way Varon sounded, reaching out to grip Shizuka’s hand as she shifted to face Varon, the bandages moving as she apparently attempted to open and close her eyes, or at least to figure out what was happening as Varon finally said, “We’ll be there soon. I’ll call Mai and have her pick us up. That should get us in the clear and get us away from any of those robed weirdos. You be careful.”

Another pause, then a smile as he said, “Yes, well, still be careful.” He hung up as the others glanced at him, Otogi looking angry and annoyed at the quiet before Varon said, “I know you’re not ‘talking’ to Honda, but telling him that some guys might be after us and to beef up security would be helpful.”

“Is...are we gonna be ok?” Shizuka asked, her voice shaky as Anzu gave her hand a squeeze while the two men went to call their respective lovers.

“We’ll be fine. Mai can handle anything that comes up, and so can the guys. No matter what, Shizuka, we’ll be safe, and we’ll get to see your sister.”

\--

The dock is the same one they’d gone to when they left for Duelist Kingdom, and Yami is worried about Yugi as well as about Kaiba and his intentions. He’s still grateful to be able to tell them about the Shadows, though his knowledge of them and what, exactly, they can be forced to do is still murky at times. He knew what he did, and he used the Shadows as he could, but right now he used them far less than he ever had early in his association with Yugi and the others. Telling Yugi and Kaiba the truth about the darker aspects of his powers had been hard, but Kaiba’s continued indifference to Jounouchi’s suffering and what had allowed her mind to be vulnerable. He hadn’t used the connection forged by her grabbing the final piece of the Puzzle, as well as the one with the Wadjet Eye on it, to see how she was, and as a consequence any link he might have had to her mind had slowly dissipated as he instead began to work on becoming friends with her. The only time that connection had even been used had been to find her when she was in mortal danger, and by now, with all they’d gone through, he couldn’t sense her or even use it to try to wrest her mind from whatever lock that Marik put her in.

Not that he was about to do such a thing. The ones Marik controlled all seemed to have hooks and barbs in their minds, some of them invisible until they were pulled hard to allow Marik control, others missing huge parts of themselves altogether.

He knows most of them are controlled through the dark spots in their own heads, and that in some ways, the only way for Marik to hold that control is through those emotions. It’s what makes them both dangerous as well as worries Yami about Marik’s own mental state. He’s shown to be angry for what happened in his past, and the fate of the tombkeepers, but it’s more to that as well, and it makes Yami think that the evil they saw was whatever darkness had come into Marik.

The helicopter sets down and slows enough that he can get out and look over at the figure of his friend, standing waiting for him and apparently not even noticing the wind from the copter or who else was there with him. Unlike her normally expressive eyes, right now they were blank, or filled with a dark glee that looked unnatural on her face.

“So you finally came, Yami,” she said, her voice not sounding as stilted or forced as the others that Marik controlled, and he found himself freezing, afraid of what Marik would have done to gotten her on his side without completely taking control. He could barely see what remained of who she normally was, and it was surrounded by darkness and hatred that didn’t even move as he looked at her, his fear and sadness over what was going on clouding his ability to really see more beyond the dark circle that surrounded what was normally Jounouchi’s bright soul, looking like a dark, pitch-black rock that surrounded it, not even letting a speck of light in.

“You said we would fight in the finals, that we would duel so you could reclaim what was rightfully yours,” he heard himself say, sounding desperate as he tried to see even a glimmer of her in the dark rock that was surrounding her, “You said we would Duel when our paths in this tournament met again. Remember that promise we made!”

Jounouchi just looked at him, her eyes still blank, before she turned and motioned. “You’d better follow me,” she said, pointing to another dock area, where a man held Mokuba at knife-point, “I’d hate for the brat to meet with a fatal accident.”

“Mokuba!” Kaiba’s voice made her stop, and if anything, he saw the blackness harden around her, turning almost obsidian-colored, as she said to him, “Let’s get this started, shall we Yami? The fight to the death...I thought every holder of Millennium Items got their kicks out of those.” She glanced back at them and said simply, “I hear that all the guys who are strong enough to actually be considered _rivals_ get the same kicks too.”

He couldn’t get through to her. Not with Kaiba here, not with all that had happened. He had no choice but to hope that battle would allow him enough room to maybe save her, but seeing the large anchor that another Ghoul handcuffed them to, saying that in 40 minutes the explosives would go off anyway and without anyway for him to really break the chain…

“You’d better put your God Card aside,” the Ghoul said, chuckling as Jounouchi waited, obviously eager to start the match, “we wouldn’t want to have to fish it out of the ocean from your corpse.”

He glared at them as he pulled out his belt, taking out Osiris before he spotted one card and heard Yugi speak for the first time since the tag-team Duel against those Masked Ghouls.

_Put that in our deck._

**_Yugi...I can’t…_ **

_You can’t...because you’re part of the problem. I don’t see a stone around her like you do...I see an egg, and if I hit it right…_

**_Yugi...you can’t think to Duel her!_ **

_We have to do what we can to get to her...I have to do everything I can. I know Katsuye better than you do, I’m friends with her in a way you and Kaiba are not. I can reach her. I_ know _I can. Please, Yami...trust me._

“WELL?”

Yami took out the Red Eyes and put it in his Deck, thinking briefly, **_Let me keep trying._**

 _I will. I trust you...but I know that for this,_ I _have to free her. I’m sorry._

**_Don’t be. It is my fault as well that she is the way she is. I am just hoping that what you see is the reality of the situation, aibou, and that she doesn’t blame herself for anything that happens._ **

\--

Kaiba couldn’t stop the Duel, only watch and try to figure out something from his hated spectator area as Mokuba was held, asleep and unresponsive, by a damned Rare Hunter. Chief Itonokogiri looking upset as he took off in the helicopter, going to make the Finals area secure. Hinagata and Ren were quiet since they’d last spoken to him, but he could now see why they were acting the way they had.

 _She became harsher after I spoke,_ he’d seen, and he knew that it wasn’t just that his presence was irking her, but that it was making things harder for Yami as well, even without the direct-damage cards that were highly illegal in this tournament. Hardly any of her original cards, or what he recalled of her cards, remained, and he wondered if that meant they’d not only shoved her personality down, but also altered her Deck as much as her mind had been changed. He also chided himself for not knowing her Deck that well, or dismissing it so he couldn’t tell what was hers and what had been put in by Marik.

Even facing down Pegasus and Yami, at least he’d come out as himself, had faced the Shadows and only had to have his soul taken out...but to have your _mind_ twisted and used in such a way…

He focused on Mokuba instead. He’d save his little brother first, and then only help out if he had to go and rescue Yami or Jounouchi from the sadistic game that he’d brought upon them by inviting danger into this tournament.

_No matter what, things were going to get dangerous for Yami, because of that Item he has...the only thing I can do is hope to at least help, or slow down the enemy without getting hurt, if I am to keep this up._

He blinked when he saw something out of the corner of his eyes, like a griffin or something, but when he quickly looked that way, he didn’t see anything...but he _felt_ the God Card reacting.

_What other sources of danger are involved in this?_

 


	9. Temperance (Possessed!Jounouchi vs Yugi)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shizuka and the others finally reach Domino and go to find Jounouchi. Meanwhile, Yugi fights to waken Jounouchi from Marik's spell...

They arrived at 5pm at Domino Station, Honda waiting for them and saying, “I got briefed by the Chief, we gotta get to Domino pier.”

“That’s hours from here!” Anzu complained as Shizuka stood by her, still gripping her hand tightly as she waited. She hadn’t realized how much she missed being outside, being in the places that Jounouchi had taken her to and that they’d spent so much time together around here, before she’d left with their mother. Shizuka wished she had the courage to take off the bandages and _see_ , but she was also afraid of what she might see right now.

_Can I really do this?_

She thought about how her sister had sounded, when Mom barred her from coming to see Shizuka. She remembered the voices down the hall and Kaiba-san’s hard voice as he told her what he thought. She thought of what Kujaku-san had said, and Mokuba-chan, and she held tight to Anzu’s hand as Honda said, “I got this covered, come on.”

They headed a bit aways before cheering and the like started up, the push of a crowd and the sound the city so familiar. It was another reason why she didn’t want to remove her bandages - her eyesight had been bad for a long time. Even now, she knew where they were by the smells and sounds around her, by the way the pavement felt underneath her feet. She’d believed all her life she’d be blind at this point and that nothing would change that, and while Mother cried and lamented, while Father drank and ignored them, Katsuye had taken her out and done all she could to help her prepare for that day.

 _And now I’m cured,_ she thought, _I can see everything and not rely on everything I remembered...but…_

Her life had already been changed so much, and Katsuye had changed so much as well. Shizuka wondered if having sight, if finally being able to see things clearly, wouldn’t change her opinion of everything. Her fear that she’d be kept away from Katsuye even more, that what little her sister had helped her would result in them being further and further away...she hates that thought, and it results in her fear.

_If I never see again, at least I can know that Katsuye did her best, that she did all she could before and after to make me happy. But if I can...what then?_

“Shizuka!” the familiar voice of Mai broke into her thoughts before she was engulfed in a hug and the familiar scents hit her nose, “I’m so glad to see you again...what took you all so long?”

“Mom took me back to a local hospital,” Shizuka said as a way of an apology to everyone, “It was pretty far away.”

She let out a huff of annoyance and said, “Well, the bandages don’t really work that well for you. I know you don’t want to see, or at least that you want to wait, so I got you something to help.” She moved to hold up something for her, that felt like thick, odd glasses.

“What are they?”

“Wrap-around, dark-tinted sunglasses…you can open your eyes and still possibly see, but you’ll also still be in darkness. It’s only when you take them off that you’ll fully see.” Her voice sounded kind and hopeful. “I know you’re not sure, but this will at least give you a better idea, and with the way the sun is going down, it will help you at least get accustomed to light again.”

Shizuka swallowed back her emotion and finally nodded. “Ok. I’ll do it.”

She wants to see her sister, and some part of her wants to see that Kaiba-san that her sister cares for in a way she’d never heard before. Katsuye has never been so angry when someone told her she didn’t know something, or when they were so mean. In all that Shizuka knows about her sister, even after years apart and with only a letter or something between them, she knows Katsuye well enough to know that she cares deeply for Kaiba-san, enough that she’s angry with him for helping, angry at him for doing all he can for her, because she can’t do anything for him in return.

It’s how her sister always is – if she can return something for that favor, that’s what she’ll do. Even if it means danger for her, or being put into a bad situation, she’ll do it. It’s gotten her into more than one bad mess, and Shizuka wants to see Kaiba…so she knows where she can hit him.

Anzu helps her take off the bandages as Honda and Varon get their motorcycles, Otogi, after a moment, muttering to Honda that he’ll ride with him.

“You don’t have to,” Honda mutters back, obviously annoyed.

“It’s not like I’m going to ride with a bunch of girls who plan on murdering Kaiba-san when they see him. Even I’m not that desperate, so let me tag along, you idiot.”

“You’re the idiot,” Honda growls out, but they head out with Varon, who seems annoyed by their antics, and Shizuka feels the cool press of the glasses on her before she opens her eyes briefly.

It’s still dark, but she can see bits and outlines. It lets her eyes adjust, just like the sunglasses her sister bought her once, when bright sunlight was getting too much for her and she still wanted to read the notes for a piano. Katsuye never learned anything like that, but instead enjoyed singing, often with Shizuka. She was so good at it, and Shizuka always sought out songs they could play together, even if Katsuye hated showing off and Mom always tried to have them show off.

“Thank you,” she finally said, closing her eyes as Anzu took her hand again to lead her wherever they needed to go. She heard more than saw the smile from Mai as she said, “My car’s this way. Come on, let’s go save your sister.”

\--

It didn’t matter what he said or how he tried to get through, the darkness around Jounouchi didn’t change from the obsidian-stone that had formed around her real self, the hate and rage that Marik had poured into her and twisted around her meaning she didn’t care what she did or how she was hurting him. The illegal cards worked to get past any defense he set up, and whatever added darkness in the Shadows that had taken over her only made the confrontations _feel_ more real, to the point where he could feel every hit from a fireball and every spark of electricity as she took out one monster or the other.

He had no way of reaching her, and when his aibout speaks to him, saying that _he_ can reach through, he accepts that it might be true. His aibou had faced down Osiris, had conquered the fear and despair that paralyzed him, and was a better friend to Jounouchi than he was. He backed away and allowed Yugi to come forward, noting the anger from the darkness that was not Jounouchi’s own, but not seeing any of her usual self. He’s not surprised by it - he knows it may take more than Yugi’s appearance to break Jounouchi free of Marik’s control, but he wishes he could help in some way.

Marik’s hold on her does falter a bit - he wants for Yami to be taken down, no matter what happens to Yugi, and he only sees Yami as the threat. Jounouchi doesn’t care about that, muttering almost to herself, “I can take down either of them!”

 _“Please, like even_ you _could win against Yugi if given the chance…_ ”

Yugi is silent and waiting as they begin to Duel, drawing a card as he looked over at the new card. Yami looks at the Red Eyes and feels how the card, under the influence of all of the Shadows at play, are working to try to fight its way forward. It seems to mirror Jounouchi’s mood, how angry and upset and _hurt_ she was. Kaiba’s presence nearby also seemed to agitate it to the point of almost fighting to get free, despite the rules.

They can summon the Red Eyes right now, and while Yami would do that, he can hear Yugi’s doubt and wish to do things on his own. He doesn’t think that pushing and summoning the Red Eyes is important at this moment, and though Yami cannot see a way to call Jounouchi back to herself without the Red Eyes, he’s worried about what Yugi would try to do. Even though the Deck is theirs, Yugi is a cautious Duelist, and one who can wait forever to find and destroy a weakness that the opponent might not even know they have. But he also isn’t sharing the strategy he has with Yami, and it’s making him worried.

_That is her heart, Yugi. We have to summon it._

**_Not yet,_** his aibou thinks, **_there’s one card I have to try first._**

“I play Exchange!”

_Aibou?_

**_Please...I can’t tell you everything right now, but...please trust me that I can reach her heart._ **

He did. He trusted his aibou to be able to do this, to face down this danger, because he’d faced and not faltered when looking at Osiris. He’d faced the Shadows that Pegasus had brought down on them, and before all that, Yugi had been able to balance him out, to fight him in order to keep control and face Mokuba, as well as keep the young boy sane. If anyone could reach Jounouchi right now, it was Yugi.

_I always trust you, aibou. Even when I don’t sound like it, I trust that you will do the right thing, and what needs to be done._

“Fine, I’ll pick one of your weak-ass cards,” Jounouchi was saying as she walked up, her eyes without the same fire they normally had, and Yugi looked down, cringing, before there was a sudden intake of breath from Jounouchi. Yami could barely see that her eyes were locked on the Red Eyes that Yugi had placed front-and-center, and he listened as Yugi said, “We can only take one card. I don’t care which one you take...any of them are yours.”

\--

**_The Red Eyes! Take that card!_ **

She would have been happy to, but beyond the pain and darkness, beyond all the bitterness and anger in her now, she knew she _couldn’t._

**_TAKE THE RED EYES!_ **

_Your Red-Eyes will make up for it…_

_Don’t start a scene now…_

Then there was a crack in it, and a smile, but the person in front of her, the person she had to destroy and kill, he looked so afraid and amazed and in awe of her.

_Why can’t I take this card?_

A memory of that other one she was fighting, of the red eyed evil that held sway over the kid in front of her, and of him holding out the Red Eyes.

The cracks grew as she put a hand to her head, trying to stop the sudden ache in it. _stop it! stop it! leave me alone! I’m not worth it, why are you doing this?_

**_TAKE THE DAMNED--_ **

“SHUT UP!” she screamed as she pulled out another card, one to the other side of the Red Eyes, and she suddenly felt like she was somewhere else, hours ago, as she ground out, both to her opponent and to everyone else. “I don’t need the Red Eyes to win.”

_The red-eyed man holding out her card, having beaten someone to get it. The one before her, smiling as she held it and put it into her Deck for the first time. A white, blue-eyed dragon roaring at them as it rose behind the bastard that controlled it, who smirked at her as he called her weak, a loser, all the words he repeated later, in another place._

The other one looked at her, his eyes sad as he said after choosing a card, “I know you’re in there, Katsuye. I’m going to save you, no matter what.”

She glared back at him, annoyed with his words and with his continued talking. “Shut up and Duel. Or are you going to go back to hiding behind that ‘other self’ like always?”

He looked at her before shifting and taking off the Puzzle around his neck, holding it to one side as he said, “I can’t ‘hide’ without this actually being worn,” he told her, holding it as he continued his turn, “I sacrifice my two monsters to summon the Red Eyes Black Dragon!”

The dragon roared to life, and they locked eyes as--

_A young man who smiled at her, who saw her as a Duelist when others hadn’t…._

_A smiling woman who played a pair of winged women and who offered her friendship_

_The cheater who offered to Duel her, and who wasn’t bitter about the loss_

_The bug-kid, who laughed but ended up alright after the other man reigned him in_

_The one who brought back a card that reminded him of his father, instead of the stronger ones_

_“I don’t need Red-Eyes to win,” she heard herself say, but that wasn’t completely the truth. She didn’t think she_ deserved it _when she’d lost it, when so many only saw her as her strongest card, and even then they only saw her as a bad Duelist, as weak, as something to be used…_

The Red Eyes attacked the Alligator Warrior, and she only winced at the loss before she said, “Is that all you can do?”

He swallowed hard as she smirked at him, drawing her next card. “My turn now…time to end this.”

She hit him with another magic direct-attack card, summoning Rocket Warrior to deal with the Red Eyes and fully finish off the job.

The Red Eyes let out a roar of pain as Rocket Warrior cut into it, the dragon’s wing getting cut off as a sudden, brutal pain raced through her shoulder. She was on her knees because of it, shaking as the darkness around her cracked and broke and started to shatter until she felt a sudden, odd weight on her neck. She looked down at it as Yugi backed away, saying, “You need to keep this safe for me, Katsuye. Please...I care so much for him, and I don’t want the two people I care so much for to die.”

The eye thing looked back at her as she recalled what had caused her this pain, but beyond that was a more distant, powerful memory.

_Why did he save me? Why would he do that? What’s the point of saving someone like me?_

_“It’s something that we can show, but can’t be seen…”_

_“I wish for friends who won’t betray me, and who I won’t betray either. I want friends that I can trust with anything…_ ”

_“I want to keep my brother safe. I will do everything I can to do that.” “I know you’ll be able to...but just in case…”_

_“I’m so glad that you found someone, Katsuye.” “Found someone? We’re not like that at all…_ ”

She was shaking, the dark being controlling her movements as she fell back into simply letting it control her, despite the pain. At least one arm felt free, but moving it only brought up more pain and anguish, more memories she didn’t want to remember.

But when that voice tells her to _not_ Duel...she can’t. _That’s stupid. I’m in a Duel. I_ have _to Duel. I promised I’d Duel…_

No...she hadn’t promised Yugi...she’d promised his other side, the darker side she didn’t really like but who was getting better, who was precious to Yugi, who…

_I wish for friends that won’t betray me, and that I won’t betray…_

The pain is giving way to light, and she played the game because something told her she _had to,_ she had to end this, she had to give someone more time to wake up or to save his brother.

_Kaiba...Kaiba came too, to save Mokuba because I couldn’t protect him. But he hasn’t said anything, he hasn’t done anything to save Mokuba or Yugi._

They were equal in life points, and she drew her final card.

\--

Layla glared at the game, then over to the panicking Kaiba. Beside her, the griffin was distraught, shifting and looking ready to attack on a moment’s notice. Mokuba was still asleep - it might take her star to wake him.

“Your boyfriend is being a dick,” she told Bakura from where he stood next to her, flanked by the other two shadows.

“It’s not my fault he’s obsessed with a false memory. Blame Shadii for that,” Bakura told her, glaring out. “Are you going to stop this?”

“I think I’ll do my best to save Mokuba. If anything, that will give Kaiba something to debate over,” she told him truthfully as she shifted out of the Shadows, the griffin easily turning into a small knife that would be used for self-defense. “Are you going to change our bargain?”

“We want things to do, not to live out life alone in some apartment with only fantasies,” he said, his voice softer like Bakura’s but with the same hard edge he’d once had. “I’m tired of living alone, and besides, being a ‘thief’ doesn’t always mean you steal things from tombs. I’ll see you at the finals.”

She smirked at him before looking back out. Mai and the others were almost there, and she needed to get Mokuba out of that man’s hands. With a quick movement, she hid behind some crates and looked out before getting the knife ready.

_Only two...let’s see if I’m still as good as I was when they gave me my nickname…_

She went out in a quick motion, getting the man holding Mokuba first and turning to kick the one who’d been waiting nearby. Her knife, though small, dug in deep into the lackey’s shoulder as he let out a yelp that was so unbecoming she punched him too, knocking him out as she looked at the two with disgust.

“The others should be here soon,” she told him, “I’ll take care of Mokuba.”

“Him, and one other thing,” Kaiba said, pulling off his Duel Disk and coat before turning to race up the pier as the timer hit three minutes. His back turned, she gently used her own powers to slowly wake Mokuba, ending Marik’s control and frowning at what she saw. He was so ham-fisted with the Rod - all of those trained to use it were able to control and use people seamlessly, without any damage left behind unless they _wanted_ that left, but this had the hallmarks of someone who rushed into things.

Then Katsuye screamed, holding her head as she shouted, “I don’t want that memory!”

_At least when I take the Item from him, I won’t feel any remorse._

\--

“I don’t want that memory!” she screamed as Yugi yelled out, “Marik! If you don’t attack me, you’ll lose! No matter what you have done to us, you’ll have to live with the fact that none of your abilities could overcome her own thoughts and emotions!”

She wanted to scream at him as well as she fought to not put _that_ card down, to not use it and have another black mark on her, because Kaiba was racing up to them, running to stop her and throw her wish away, and--

The dark thing latched into her mind pulled, and she suddenly knew it was the Shadows, and saw--

_A man was pinned to the wall, hands spread out, and he had been flayed, blood spilling over--_

_A woman knelt before them, in chains that were only there for show, and she was shaking with rage and covered in dried blood, even covering her dark hair…_

_Another woman, her body before him, and a tablet with a strange but familiar creature as the sun rose behind unfamiliar mountains onto white sand_

“YUGI, DON’T YOU DARE DO THIS!”

She saw him smile, and the light of it cracked the last remaining darkness and broke the final bit of control and he yelled out, “I play Mystical Rift Panel!”

She’s shaking, her head clouded, and she’s _not crying her eyesight is just blurry_ and everything feels like it’s just at a standstill. At Yugi’s side is the wounded Red Eyes ( _I...did that…?_ ) and he smiled at her as he said, “I’m so glad we won. I’m so glad you’re free.”

“Yugi...Yugi, don’t…”

The Panel turned, and she felt the Shadows suddenly peak in power as Yugi was hit. The time suddenly beeped above them ( _timer, I have...what? what was it?_ ) as a box at her feet opened, Yugi muttering, “Fifteen...seconds...get...out…”

“YOU DON’T GET TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO!” She screamed at him, taking off her Duel Disk and the Puzzle ( _why do I have it? he gave it to me and I can’t keep it, it’s not mine, it has Yami in it and they love each other and_ ) before yelling out, “Red Eyes! Attack me!”

Kaiba started to say something before the blast hit her too, making her almost fall back before the box next to Yugi opened. She heard a car, and multiple yells, before she took a running leap, grabbed the key, and unlocked Yugi’s handcuff just as there was an explosion above them.

She barely held onto the key as she was dragged into the water.

\--

Shizuka tore off the glasses to see better - the light was low, she couldn’t follow anyone without being able to see, and Anzu was screaming along with Mai, and as she _saw_ , for the first time in a long time, clearly _saw things_ , she saw her sister unlocking something before falling into the water. She saw a tall young man running to grab something from the other side and diving in after her.

“Kaiba! Jounouchi!” Anzu yelled, as Shizuka walked over, hearing a younger, familiar voice yell, “Nii-sama!”

She barely managed to grab Mokuba, stopping him from continuing forward as everyone waited, Anzu helping Yugi up as he looked around, out of it and confused and suddenly afraid as he said, “B-but...but Katsuye...she…”

There was a sudden gasp from one side, as Otogi and Honda (she had to ask later which one was which) raced over to pull out the two water-logged figures from the ocean. She felt her eyes go wide as she saw her sister, wet and out of breath, being helped out of the water by the taller, dark-haired boy from before as the group went to try and see them. Mokuba broke away to start to go over to them as Katsuye was saying, “Y-you...idiot, the lot...y-you couldn’t just...I mean...what the hell, I’m not--.”

Kaiba reached up, grabbed the side of her head, and pulled her in for a kiss that had her wide-eyed and amazed.

Everyone stopped talking or moving. Mokuba appeared frozen as he watched the kiss before the spell was almost broken by a hard, resounding slap.

“ASK BEFORE YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT, YOU ASSHOLE! WHAT MAKES YOU THINK I EVEN _LIKE YOU_? YOU--”

“I was wrong.”

Everyone looked at Kaiba with an astonishment that said he either never said those words, or never said them out loud with a group watching. She couldn’t really see him as others had described him - her first and best memory of him would always be of him dripping wet from seawater, his hair flat against his head, and looking like he had no idea what else to say beyond the fact that he had been wrong, and that he had kissed her.

“You weren’t _right_ ,” she told him slowly, almost quietly, “but...I don’t think I’m in the best place to judge that right now.”

“Probably not,” he admitted, slowly standing up and offering his hand to her. “That doesn’t change that I was wrong, and that most of this...is my fault.”

She accepted the help up and looked up at him before he reached down to touch her chin lightly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t...I have a…”

“You’re a dick, and you act like it when you’re afraid or not sure what else to do,” she told him simply, looking up at him and both apparently unaware they had an audience, or at least not caring they did. “I can deal with that.”

She moved, standing up on her tip-toes as her hand reached up and pulled him down for a deep kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy belated holidays!


	10. The Stars (Yami Bakura vs Yami Yugi)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the Battle City finals begin, tensions run a bit high as the Shadows begin to act up more and more, forcing Yami to consider a tough choice when he finds out who he is Dueling first.

It’s when the two break apart that Mokuba and Shizuka hurry over to their older sibling, Mokuba hugging Kaiba as Shizuka grabbed Katsuye’s hand, looking almost frightened as they looked at each other, Katsuye’s eyes wide at seeing her without the bandages and with her eyes trained on her. Katsuye swallows, looking upset despite how happy she is, but Shizuka shifts forward and wraps her in a hug, not as tight as Mokuba’s one that he was giving Kaiba, but a gentle one that had Katsuye shaking despite herself. Yugi slowly moved to get the Puzzle back, the familiar weight resting on his chest as he felt the return of Yami to his soul. It was so odd, to feel that and realize that had been what had made him so upset and sad during the Duel was the loss of that feeling of his other self.

 ** _You did well on your own, aibou_** _._ Yami seemed to be hugging him, the warmth and feel of having his soul being hugged. He held onto the chain and puzzle, grateful for the return of his other self, and he could feel his worry and gratitude that they’d survived, but also an underlying anger at Marik for all he’d done. Yugi didn’t argue with the anger, knowing that his other half would be able to control it if he needed to, and also angry with how Marik had treated others as well. He hated how Marik had used Arcana and the man who’d held Osiris, and now, with Katsuye looking so subdued and oddly confused over all that happened, and Mokuba holding tightly to Kaiba’s hand as they headed back over to greet the rest, Yugi couldn’t help but feel anger as well.

_Why does he want to kill us for what happened? Why is he tormenting us instead of simply telling us what happened, what it was that set him on this path?_

**_I don’t know, aibou. I only know that I will defeat him, and hopefully by then, we will have our answers._ **

\--

The trip to Domino Stadium is, luckily, not that crowded. Kaiba takes Mokuba, Shizuka, Katsuye, and Yugi in the spacious helicopter while the others go in Mai’s car, the closed off streets easy for them to travel through. Shizuka is marveling at everything out of the window, and the heated space at least lets himself and Katsuye a chance to dry off after the plunge into the water. He blushes as he glances over at Katsuye again and remembers his sudden decision to kiss her.

She’d nearly died. She’d been used by Marik and forced to use a Deck that was now being purged of the illegal cards he’d put in it, mostly with Yugi’s help. He knew it was not that she didn’t trust him, but the violation that Marik had pushed on her was only now starting to really show, in how quiet and almost afraid she was, and he hated it. He hated seeing her usual boldness so muted, and was at least glad that her sister seemed to notice it as well and did her best to engage her whenever she could.

He finally glanced over at her and said, “There will be eight contestants at least in the tournament. I and Yugi, you and Kujaku, and four others, though I believe two are working together.”

“The two that got six cards, even though one registered none, and another registered twelve?”

Kaiba nodded, glancing briefly at Katsuye then back to Mokuba. “Do you remember anything before you were captured?”

Mokuba and Katsuye were quiet, both looking a little lost, before Mokuba said, “That white-haired kid was hurt…someone named Namu brought him, and Layla took him to the hospital.”

Layla Naunet…the woman who, ever since Death-T, had simply been a strange outlier to all this, but now she seemed to be getting more and more involved. _What is she going to do? What are her plans?_

“We were heading away when those robed guys came after us,” Katsuye told them, “we got pretty far but they caught up with us. A…big guy, with these scars on his face…he had an Item, and…” she shook her head, and Mokuba hid his face against Kaiba’s shoulder as Kaiba felt anger bubbling up in him. _Even if Yugi wants to go after Marik for what he’d done, I will not let this go so easily. He hurt Mokuba – he has his men attack and hurt Katsuye. Whatever his reasons, he is using any illegal means to get his way, and I know what that can lead into. I will not allow such things in this tournament, and not when it so hurts those that…_

He still isn’t sure of his feelings with everyone. Yugi is someone he supposes he could be a ‘friend’ to, but then again, Yugi is friendly to nearly everyone. Yami is his rival – no matter what else, that is all they really are, and even if they _can_ work as a team and even if Yami knows him well, he doubts they could ever be ‘friends’. The others were just buzzing things that he happened to run into because of school or because they were good Duelists. Katsuye was…he wasn’t sure. No matter how he tried to not care about her, he found he _did_. He hadn’t even paused beyond making sure Mokuba was ok before going after her as she’d been pulled into the ocean, after barely making it in time to save Yugi from the same fate. He had to stop thinking that he could avoid her either, and knew that perhaps, he had to at least _try_ to see if they could be together.

_Gozaburo was wrong about many things. How appropriate that he is also wrong about this._

“We will have to face him,” Yugi said quietly, getting Shizuka to move next to her sister and hold her hand as she set her remade Deck back in, the illegal cards scattered on the floor between them.

“Not just because he’s here, but because he holds the God Card Ra,” Kaiba said, “and that we own the other two.” He glanced at Yugi. “You haven’t used the Osiris Card since you got it.”

Yugi is quiet before he says, “There’s never been a time to use it. Osiris is a card that may or may not be around after this whole thing – I can’t have it as a crutch. The Deck _we_ made is our strength, no one card. That’s what our strength is.” Yugi leans back a bit as Kaiba considered him before he finally said, “If that is true, then even if I do win, that only means things will get worse before they get better.”

Katsuye and Shizuka looked worried before he saw Katsuye seem to draw in a breath, and her resolve set. “I’m going to help out, however I can. I’m not going to be afraid of that asshole. I’m _not_ afraid of him.”

Shizuka held her hand, and Kaiba considered for only a moment before he reached forward, taking her other. She’d started a bit at the move, but allowed him to continue to hold her hand as they helicopter set down and the rest of the group arrived at the construction site of what would be Domino Stadium.

\--

Mai has to admit she’s both happy for Katsuye but also annoyed at the timing of everything as well. It’s great to see them together again, it’s great to see her and him finally _taking whatever hint they needed_ and finally kissed, but she’s also a bit worried about the timing as well. Things are beginning to take a turn for the serious, now that the final eight are up to do battle, and there’s every chance that something _bad_ could happen. She didn’t understand how bad the timing was, or what they were all going to do if anything bad happened like all the other issues with this tournament. She’d luckily not faced off against any of the Rare Hunters, but she’d seen a few who had, and had seen the aftermath of a few lost battles, not to mention the rumor that at least three Duelists had been found brain-dead. This was quite possibly the _worst timing_ any two people could have as far as deciding to change things and be a couple.

The group got out of the car as Honda walked over to talk to someone who was apparently the chief of security, Otogi following behind a little ways and glancing over to see how things were going as Anzu sits in the car, apparently thinking over something.

“What? No inspiring speeches about friendship to make?” Mai asked, smiling at her as she glanced up and away to where Layla was standing, apparently just watching the group and how everything was progressing. Anzu looked up at Mai with a quick blink before she said, “No, it’s not that, just...I don’t know if we should all come on this trip.”

“Oh? Miss Cheerleader has lost that cheer?”

“It’s not that either. After what happened with Jounouchi, and everything else, I mean...it’s dangerous for all of us to go there, and the more of us are there, the more targets there are for Marik to choose from. I don’t…I don’t know if I should go on or not.”

Mai is quiet, serious, as Anzu continues, “It’s not that I don’t want to be there for them, it’s more that I don’t know what I can do besides give them the support that he already has. We brought Shizuka-chan to Jounouchi, and that will help, but I also don’t want to intrude on her. I don’t want her to feel we’re smothering her either. I don’t know how our presence will help her or if it will just make things worse.”

Mai had to admit that Anzu had a point. Katsuye might need her space after whatever happened to her, and the group descending on her during a crucial event was probably not going to help. Of course, Mai also wanted Anzu there so she could help out in any and all railings against Kaiba when he, inevitably, messed things up. It wasn’t something she was rooting for, but it was something she knew could happen. She’d had enough guys who acted like Kaiba around her, and she’d seen every outcome. Most of the time, it was a bad one, and while she hoped that it wouldn’t be for Katsuye, she had to at least prepare for it.

“So are you really going to leave them alone in this?”

“I think so. Honda might know a bit about Katsuye, but he doesn’t know her _now_ , and I think him coming with us will only add stress to Katsuye. I want her to have fun with Shizuka, not be bothered by the rest of us. I doubt their mother will let them visit that often after this, and Shizuka is a strong girl. She can cheer them on for all of us.”

Mai is quiet before she finally replies, “I think you, at least, should go, if not to cheer on Katsuye, then to cheer on Yugi. Like you said, this is going to be tough. No matter what, we’re targets. But that doesn’t mean you can’t come and help out, or do what you can to help him. He and that other half of his will need someone to talk to, and that can’t always be Katsuye.”

Anzu looked over at her before glancing up at the sound of the helicopter coming in, Honda looking upset as Otogi apparently talked to Honda and the Chief about what was going on. Varon glanced over at Mai and walked back to them, smiling as he wrapped an arm around her and muttered, “The kids seem to be all ready to go.”

The helicopter landed easily to deposit the Kaibas, Katsuye, Shizuka, and Yugi before taking off again, everyone moving to their groups as Layla returned to join them while Kaiba went to talk to one of the suited guys who was obviously going to be in charge of this next part. Honda and Otogi came over, Honda still looking a bit upset, as he said, “It looks like I can’t stay.”

“Why not?” Yugi asked as Katsuye looked at him curiously, her silence making Mai unhappy with her change, and all the more determined to kick that bastard Marik’s ass for what he’d done.

Otogi spoke up, reaching over to grab Shizuka’s hand as he said, “Our time together must come to a close, Shizuka-chan. The Chief is worried about things so everyone only gets one extra friend onboard, and right now they don’t have the space to put us up and help with security.” He kissed her hand, getting Katsuye to suddenly glare at him, before he turned to Anzu and took her hand. “Anzu-chan--.”

“I will slap you so hard you turn ugly if you continue that line, Otogi.”

He gave up and started on Varon as the biker laughed at him and Honda finally pulled him away, looking red-faced and upset as Katsuye smiled a bit.

“Honda’s gonna have a tough time with him.”

Mai snorted at that as they turned to see some people entering, the group shifting to the ones they were bringing onboard – Kaiba and his brother, she and Varon, Katsuye and Shizuka, and Yugi and Anzu. Despite her initial uncertainty, it appeared Anzu had taken her words to heart, and now stuck by Yugi as the tanned man came in, smiling a bit at the rest and apparently trying to look harmless as he said, “Oh, hi again Jounouchi!”

“Hi…Namu, right?” she asked, though she didn’t move to touch his hand or offer up a handshake either. “I’m surprised you’re here…I mean, you said you weren’t that good.”

He chuckled and put a hand to the back of his head as Namu said, “Well, I guess I got lucky after you left! Maybe some of it rubbed off on me.”

Mai glanced at Mokuba to see him also glancing at Namu and staying close to Kaiba, though that seemed to be normal. The only thing Mai noticed that was different was that he appeared to stay as close to Kaiba as possible, and wasn’t saying anything about his brother was going to beat everyone. If anything, he seemed worried about seeing Namu again, and that got Mai to glance at him suspiciously until another person walked in, a white-haired boy she recognized as Bakura.

“Oh, you’re the one who saved me! Thank you,” he said politely, smiling to the group as he added, “Yugi, Jounouchi, I’m glad to see you both as well.”

“I didn’t realize you played Duel Monsters,” Layla pointed out, apparently not upset over the rule that didn’t allow her to come along.

“I do sometimes – it’s not as fun as the RPGs, but still it’s good to have a few hobbies.”

The group tensed _completely_ when a tall, broad man with a dark robe, like the ones that the Rare Hunters often wore, walked in and looked up, glaring unemotionally at them and allowing them to see the scars down one side of his face. It looked like a tattoo from afar, but Mai could tell when a tattoo was from scarring or ink, and this was definitely scarring. Yugi looked afraid as he shifted in front of the group, taking in a breath to straighten and glare the man down as the rest did the same, Kaiba glaring at him as he said, “I take it you’re Marik?”

“Yes,” the tall man said, his gaze shifting to Kaiba. “Is there a problem?”

Kaiba glared back at him, having moved so Mokuba was behind him and hidden. “I should disqualify you from the tournament altogether, and see if I can’t find out who _else_ you put into this tournament.” He glanced at Bakura and Namu, Bakura looking a bit surprised and Namu looking overly confused.

“You do that, and I won’t give you some vital information about my operation. In fact, you’ll be endangering a few hundred lives. Not to mention, I’ll leave with the Ra Card, and you wouldn’t want that, would you?”

_Ra Card? What’s that?_

Kaiba glared at him, the others doing the same, before Kaiba let out a snort and moved away, saying, “The final Duels aren’t taking place here…in fact, we should be seeing the final arena appearing right around…now.”

The lights turned out to shine on an enormous sort of plane/dirigible hybrid, the thing slowly moving down before landing gently and the cabin opening, a few more men coming out to stand guard on the side as Kaiba said, “We’ll be here for about an hour before the next Duel begins. Use that time to prepare your Decks and rest up. Each of you who turned in your cards now have a numbered room – the card given to you will be the only thing that opens that door.”

He turned, once more keeping Mokuba away from the guy calling himself Marik, and the two strode up. Mai, after glancing at Varon, followed and did her best to not look back at the stone-faced villain they would be facing. He got on right before the rest and headed to his room quickly, avoiding everyone, as Katsuye came up and glanced at the windows before asking, “That’s seven of us…who’s the eighth?”

Layla, walking up just as they were about to take off, gave them a small smile. “An old friend, Katsuye, but one that will be pleasantly surprising.”

\--

Bakura ate the food provided mechanically, his body moving simply and without any thought to the painful wound on his arm or the conversation going on between Marik and his ‘self’. The integration of the two was seamless, and while his ‘darker’ half was now in charge, what had once been his ‘light’ half was still partly there, even if it was buried far underneath and only a facade to try to confuse or get Yugi to look the other way.

“It worked out fine.”

“I’ve known them far longer then you have,” Bakura muttered in the dark space they met in, “and I’m telling you it _didn’t_. Your little stunt with Jounouchi only made them less likely to trust you, not to mention you got _her_ attention.”

Marik snorted. “That woman has no power that can match me.”

“You’re a fool if you think that. I’m beginning to have doubts about even joining with your little group.” Bakura had to admit that his main reason for doing so was that Marik was handsome, and because he offered something that neither Bakura really had - a chance to escape life, to see things beyond, even if Marik’s status was due to his pursuit of the Puzzle and gaining power enough to call for the spirit of the Puzzle’s death. Bakura could care less about motivation if it meant that he would be able to use Marik to further his own goals.

A bit of sauce dribbled down the vessel’s body as Marik finally told Bakura, “Keep up your end of the bargain, and I’ll keep up mine. Just remember that.”

\--

Jounouchi had to admit that the one thing Kaiba got _right_ about a tournament was actually giving them _food_. From what she could see, the whole thing was going to have the actual finals tomorrow, with the remaining four battling it out on whatever the destination of the blimp-thing was. Shizuka had happily watched as they traveled far above the city, smiling at Jounouchi as they got some food to eat and settled in the small room Jounouchi had been given as one of the Finalists.

_I’m a finalist._

It was hard to stomach, in some ways - she’d been used to nearly kill Yugi, had been pulled into some dark space and...and now, everything from the Duel with Mako to the kiss with Kaiba was too messy for her to even put straight. She didn’t remember much about that whole thing, only that it left her feeling numb and horrified at herself.

“Katsuye? Are you ok?” Shizuka’s worried voice brought her back to reality as the intercom buzzed, calling them all to the main room so they could begin choosing the Duelists to go up for the first round. She gave her sister a smile and pulled her in for a hug, grateful to have her there.

“I’m better now. Thank you for being here.”

Shizuka returned the hug automatically, smiling at her as she said, “I’m glad I could come. It’s so great. I mean, I’m glad for those sunglasses Miss Kujaku gave me...they help for when it’s getting too bright.”

Katsuye smiled as they headed out, Yugi and Anzu coming as Katsuye asked, “You’re still bad with light?”

“Not really, but...well, I want to get used to it. It just feels too _bright_.”

That made sense - Shizuka had had bad eyesight most of her life, so bright light had sometimes been a problem. If she was cured, that meant that now, it was just her having to get used to the light and everything. Mai had given her a few pairs to help if the light tomorrow or later got too bright.

Katsuye was almost grateful that Kaiba had decided to call the group now, because now her mind focused on the fact that the Duels would begin soon, and she or someone else would have to face either Namu, Bakura, or that guy who said he was Marik, not to mention the final Duelist that wasn’t around who had invited Layla onboard. They were Layla’s friend, so they couldn’t be that bad, but it didn’t stop Katsuye from being curious.

The machine, which looked like the ones that put out numbers for the lottery and, because Kaiba had a crush on a card, a Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, was turned on as one of the new guys running the tournament announced that the numbers would also correspond to two balls that came out of the dragon, and that would determine who played who. It left things up to chance, and she had to applaud Kaiba on that one - only a few of them knew the other’s Deck, but they’d had time before arriving on the blimp and even during the break to change things up or even switch out to another Deck as needed. Right now, she’d put in her Fulgara and most of the cards she’d won during the tournament, though the best one for this might be Jinzo.

The first number to come up was Bakura’s, with the second being Yugi’s as he glanced over at Bakura, Katsuye getting a bad feeling about what was going on. Bakura had smiled and said simply, “Oh, I hope you go easy on me,” as Kaiba’s men motioned for everyone to follow to the tournament area.

She’d expected something grand, but she hadn’t expected a domed aerial field that was just above the blimp, making it more a plane with a big balloon shell around it, it seemed.

“We’re pretty high up, and the only thing shielding us is the glass,” Kaiba said with a smirk, “still, it’s intense conditions.”

The platform was raised and both Duelists got on it, Bakura letting out a familiar, dark chuckle as he said, “It’s been a long time.”

Yami was already in charge and glared back at him, “So...I was right, it is you.”

\--

The glare-off and attempt to gain information didn’t work during their shuffling, and he was not about to tell the other spirit about who brought him into the race. Layla Naunet had warned him against that, and he wasn’t about to cross _her_ at this moment, even if he could see Marik trying to ask questions and only Mazaki willing to answer them. He could feel Marik attempting to take control, and he used a bit of his power to push him away.

_This is my battle. I’m not a pawn for you to use, nor am I even on your side at the moment, unless I win Osiris. So stay out of it._

Marik sounded almost hurt, but Bakura didn’t mind. Whatever was pushing Marik into such actions was making this harder and harder for him to be trusted. Inside of his merged soul, Ryo was still there, but they were so intertwined that it was getting hard to say if they could be parted safely.

He saw Yami glance over him, the Wadjet eye appearing briefly, before he let out a breath. “I didn’t expect this battle to be with cards.”

_Ah, of course...if I lose at this, with all the Shadows between us, that means…_

“No, but to be a true King of Games, you would have to master all of them, wouldn’t you? And I think I have a very good chance at beating you, even with your God Card.”

The two almost smiled as they started, Bakura going first in the Duel. It was going to be their last official battle, the last battle of them as whatever they were from the past - Bakura planned on making it memorable.

Yami easily allowed him to summon Dark Necrofear, the doll-like monster appearing as Bakura’s Occult Deck began. The lower monsters were meant to be used to summon other, stronger cards, and his and Ryo’s search into the past of the Millennium Items only lead deeper and deeper into the occult as it was. Though Yami claimed his Deck was made by the two together, his own was made in much the same way, though only one soul was stronger than the other.

_Why am I drawn to such darkness and to the idea of this? To death as well as a balancing of things?_

Ryo’s answer was simple - his sister and mother were dead, his father was distant because of that and studied dead civilizations, their one connecting bond was a thing that was meant to be in a tomb, in a city of tomb robbers and thieves who used the occult. Even the Shadows were such things, the things that walked the line between the living and the dead. It was possibly that walk which had made Marik the way he was, a perversion of some ritual that had resulted in his madness.

_A perverse ritual...people dying, falling into something gold…_

He pushed aside the nightmare/memory and instead focused. He would defeat Yami this time, and he would regain his memories and the powers over the Shadows. His occult deck was built on people thinking they could gain an upper hand by destroying monsters, instead of looking beyond and realizing the dangers of such a thing. Yami was one who was so ready to have a trap or spell to aid his monsters and to destroy them, and Bakura was willing to simply have his monsters wait out whatever came about.

The Shadows danced with his power as the Ouija Board appeared, beginning to spell out the first of the five-letter word that would give Yami only five turns to win - enough of his opponents in Battle City had fallen to that board, and the last group had been so arrogant and foolish in their attempts that they’d been eaten by the Shadows.

\--

He isn’t sure about summoning Osiris, but by the time Bakura pulls out Deja Vu and returns all their cards to their place, and back to one-turn, he knows he must use the God Card. It’s not reluctance that makes him hesitate, but that Osiris was won by Yugi and he working together. Yugi had not helped him during the tournament, not so much because it might not work, but because he felt that the battle between Bakura and himself was one that needed to take place without interference. As he touched the top of the Deck, feeling Osiris writhing underneath, he let out a breath. _To summon a god is the highest order. Bakura drew this into the occult...I shall defeat him with a God, then._

He sees something come up as Osiris curls around behind him, roaring with anger as Bakura looks at him. For a moment, he thinks he sees Ryo there, but the moment is gone just as quickly. The first conflict between them had left both souls only partly there - Bakura Ryo’s soul had only been partly within the White Mage he created, and even if he kept the Ring off, it was only a matter of time before it resulted in the two pieces finally merging.

Marik had tried to control Bakura, and it was obvious that he didn’t want anything to do with the man wielding the Millennium Rod as he finally gave Yami a maniacal grin.

“Well? End it.”

He glared at him and finally said, “Very well, thief. Osiris, attack!”

The blast was enough to knock Bakura down, the Ring bouncing away and everyone quickly climbing up as he was announced as the winner, Kaiba motioning as Mai, Varon, and Jounouchi checked Bakura over, though he regained consciousness long enough to look a bit confused before his soul seemed to curl up and simply sleep.

 _The Shadows are going to make things harder,_ Yami thought as they headed out to get the doctor to check on Bakura’s arm and on himself, Yami going to pick up the Ring he’d technically won. The spirit of it was gone - it was part of Bakura Ryo’s soul now, and all that remained was the power of the Item. Whatever else, this would end up helping him continue his journey to finding his memories, but…

 ** _It’s going to be harder than the tournament with Pegasus, isn’t it?_** Yugi’s thought allowed him to focus as they went to see about Bakura, taking advantage of the twenty minute break Kaiba was allowing between Duels.

 _The Shadows are alive within the God Cards, and all three are here. That and the power they’ve been gaining recently only leads me to believe they will continue to grow the more we Duel. Something else is there, though._ He thought back to the image Ishizu had shown him, of a darkness over a tall spire. _That is the final Duel spot...but the Shadows have never been that agitated, even when Pegasus used them for dark purposes._

**_W-what could get them like that?_ **

_A perversion of something..._ he glanced at the Ring, and let out a breath, concentrating. HIs own Item and the Ring worked well together, at least, allowing them to see the Shadows around them. Osiris and Obelisk were working with the other cards, shifting among them as Gods but not being overwhelming to the others. Ra was...not like that, it seemed almost angry and chafing at whatever restraints or other things had been put on it, angry and proud to the point of not wanting to even resonate and instead polluting the Shadows around it. But it was also emulating it’s master - something inside of the one who held it was sick, ill, and had been created out of a ritual of Shadows that had been perverted with pain, loneliness, and anger.

**_That’s Marik’s feelings?_ **

_His inner ones, ones created by a rite that went wrong over something. I cannot tell when or where it went wrong, but it did, and that would be the reason for much of how Marik acts. I suspect that though his soul and mind was powerful enough to control the Rod, something warped it and made him into the being he is. No matter what happens, aibou, I don’t doubt he has started to see everyone as simply pawns in his quest to hurt me._

Yami let out a sigh as he went to his own room, moving aside some things before finding a good place to hide the Ring. They couldn’t let it near Bakura right now - not just because the power could be affected by the darker one here, but also because he knew that Bakura needed rest. His soul was still merging and, possibly, remembering. Whatever had taken his own memories, Bakura might still get them back slowly. His, however, had been locked away and sealed, and he needed to win this tournament in order to regain them and gain enough power over his fate to separate from Yugi. Only then, with all that, could he find peace and really, truly, be with his aibou.


	11. The Hierophant (Jounouchi vs. "Marik")

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second battle of Battle City has Kaiba worried, and the Shadows are now even more angry over something that "Marik" has done...the question is what.

Getting Bakura cared for and resting in his room left little time before they had to get to the main room for the new draws, Katsuye letting out a sigh at all the running around they had to do and hoping that the first Duel wasn’t some sort of sign of how things were going to go from now on. She frowned as Kaiba walked up beside her, slowly reaching over to touch her hand as he asked, “Are...are you doing alright?”

“You can stop acting like I’m going to bite your head off for asking,” she muttered, blushing as she remembered the kiss and moment they’d shared right before this. She’d never been accused of having good timing, and that had possibly been the _worst timing ever_.

“My question still stands,” he asks, giving her only a mild glare, “your friend was hurt, and...well, Mokuba is not sure if he wants to continue to watch the Duels.” She got that, especially after his first few encounters with anything involving Millennium Items had ended pretty badly.

“Is that why he’s not here?”

“He’s helping Hinagata and the others with seeing what they can find out about Ra, should it appear,” he told her, the name making her frown. “There are three God Cards - I have one, Yugi has one, and Marik has the final, and possibly strongest, one.”

“So if it shows up, Mokuba’s going to get what information he can and see about it?”

“That’s his plan, at least. I would like for him to stay, but...the way things are going, I would rather he be safe.”

She understood that reasoning, and looked over as the remaining numbers began to fly before two numbers came down - the first was hers, of course, but the next…

The tall, scarred-face Duelist didn’t even bother to give her a look before turning to head towards the Dueling arena, and she took in a breath before saying, “Mokuba had better watch, then. I’m going to get the Ra card from that punk.”

\--

Kaiba is fairly sure that his relationship with Katsuye is going to be exactly like this - worrisome, and involving him trying to stop her from doing something rash and foolish before she pulls him in for a kiss and tells him, “That’s for the surprise one you pulled on me, and for luck! You’re supposed to wish me luck, idiot.”

“Then you’d better win and stay sane through this,” he finally said back, “I would expect to get a kiss for good luck for my own Duel.”

So by the time they both got up, both were blushing furiously as Yami was looking at him like he was ready to remind Kaiba that he could and would humiliate him in order to protect Katsuye, Shizuka bouncing in place as if this was the most perfect thing she could use her fixed eyesight for, and Mai and Layla glancing at him like they hadn’t quite figured out if they should join with Yami in glaring threats at him, or join Shizuka in bouncing for joy.

Marik seems intent on winning and the other Duelist that Kaiba is uncertain about, Namu, is once more asking questions. Varon answers as best he can, while Anzu watches and looks nervous as she still cheers on Jounouchi as they square off. Katsuye glares down her opponent only momentarily before making the first move and waiting for what he will do.

_Marik has Ra, and she is confident she’ll gain that card...but what is it’s power? The danger of this is that we don’t know what it does. Obelisk is straight-forward, simple and does damage. Osiris is trickier, has more traps and falls...so what can Ra do that makes it the strongest of the God Cards?_

_And how will it affect Katsuye?_

He could feel the Shadows building in this tournament, the itch from it seemed to seep through his Deck and into him as he fought to ignore most of it. He didn’t want to deal with the Shadows, and it was obvious that Yami had already taken note and was upset and worried over their increase presence as well. Even the others that hadn’t been in Shadow Games before seemed to note the uneasiness of the whole situation as Marik played the Shrine of the Pharaoh card.

“This means I can place two trap-cards on the field at once,” Marik said, before putting down two cards as Katsuye frowned at him, as if confused by what he said. He could see the reason for that - face-down cards were often either magic or trap cards, and there were no rules about how many you could have on the field. _He’s trying to get her to attack - he’s not even leaving an opening for her to get out of. So...what will she do?  
_ Katsuye wasn’t known for taking easy routes, and was not a ‘chess’ type, like Yugi and Yami. She wasn’t even a gimmick type, as many others were. She used Warriors and Beast-Warriors because they tended to be the type that were reproduced more, and so you didn’t have to spend so much money on them. She glanced at him and her cards before using the next few turns to summon monsters, attempting to use one card to wipe away the traps but failing as her own monsters were destroyed, taking out a little over half her life points.

 _Trap cards are tricky..._ he considered as she played her own cards, the three other trap cards finally revealing to show the three Avatars of Apophis. Her own attempt to defeat them failed, and Marik said finally, “I know your Deck. You cannot defeat me.”

“I’m seriously getting tired of hearing that,” she told him, slowly standing from where the holograms had pushed her down, the last 50 lifepoints still on her score, “I’ve heard that a lot, and it always seems so stupid. I’ve been hearing it since my first actual Duel in this tournament.”

“Give up, while you’re still a Duelist.”

She glared at him, looking almost angry at his insinuation. “Losing doesn’t make me less of a Duelist, _quitting_ does. So stop acting like you actually have any honor or pride, you cheater.” She drew her card, looked, then placed two cards face-down.

He didn’t panic like Shizuka did, and he saw Mai smirk a bit as the Avatars started forward, only to have the two activate before a tall, masked monster rose up and let out a muted roar.

_Jinzo?_

“As long as we’re being all about how Battle City was for me, let me introduce you to the first card I won,” Katsuye said, sounding suddenly confident and like many other Duelists he’d faced. She often either yelled when finally upset or stuck to simply saying what was going on, but beyond that, she often simply let her body language do the talking. In this, she didn’t have a poker-face, but it seemed to only come out when she was finally serious.

 _That’s her way of Dueling,_ he realized as she added, “Jinzo is a bit of a bane for your Deck, isn’t he?” She glared back at him as she continued, “You don’t know anything about me or my Deck.”

\--

Yami hated how the Shadows were acting in this game, and after Jinzo had wiped out the Trap-Monsters on Marik’s side of the field, he’d been hit but able to stop Jounouchi from doing more than simply drawing and planning out her strategy, or just setting up the cards she had as they prepared.

But the Shadows weren’t going around and waiting, like they had when he summoned Osiris or even when Bakura’s soul had started to slumber, the link between it and the Ring now only similar to the link that Shadii or Pegasus had had with their own Items. No, instead, they seemed ANGRY, writhing in pain and growling out and around Marik as he summoned the Holy Beast Selket to guard the sealed box and it’s card.

 _You said the Shadows said something about a perversion or twisting of a rituaL,_ Yugi mentioned from his place watching Katsuye, Yami in the forefront in the hopes of using his power to protect anyone should the Shadows react badly, _and the God Cards had some of the Shadows inside of them?_

**_Yes. They’re part of a ritual, I believe, or became part of one._ **

_Then...what if it’s a reproduction of Ra? A copy of the card?_

\--

**_You’re a member of our clan, Rishid. You can control a copy of God._ **

Rishid is silent as he hears Marik’s command in his mind. He allowed the link after all that happened, and after Ishizu betrayed them in their quest. He knows that Marik needs to defeat the Pharaoh, to purge the hatred of three thousand years before that part of him will be gone forever and he will return to the Marik he knows and cared for, that he helped and that he became a Tombkeeper for.

_I can defeat this girl on my own, Master Marik. I will not need the card that I sealed away._

He’d been Marik’s shadow for as long as he was alive, even before Marik was born. Master Ishtar had never treated him as a son, only as a servant, and his fate had been sealed when Ishizu and Marik were born. He’d been four years older than Ishizu, eight older than Marik, and he’d still tried to take the ritual on. Why shouldn’t he?

But when it was denied, in the weeks before it, Rishid had found a book detailing one other thing, one carving he could make, that would tie him to their clan forever.

_The Mark of Maahes, the Scarlet Lord, inheritors of the mantle of Sekhmet._

With that design, as Marik screamed in pain in the other room, and with only the dim light to guide him, he had carved the mark into his face, a reminder to Marik of who he was.

_Marik will inherit the Items, the Rod that once stood to the king’s right, and I will stand behind him, his shadow, ready with the Scarlet Lady to strike down those that attack the ones who threaten us. I will be Mater Marik’s shadow, in all of this, and I will keep him safe until his revenge is done, and the darkness from his family’s curse is overcome. I will kill the Pharaoh myself._

He chanced a glance over to where that man was, and saw the woman who had been standing alone for a bit when Battle City had started. Her tawny eyes locked on his own, and she raised her head a bit as there was a growl from next to her, and he thought he saw a lion with an asp for a tail, coiled around her.

Her look was a challenge as he looked away, and he felt himself sweat as he did. The thief that Marik had attempted to hold was right - _she_ was here, and he would have to be careful if he wanted to free his Master.

He glared at the girl, the one who is also in the Pharaoh’s shadow and doesn’t acknowledge when she’s about to lose, as Selket eats the final monster. It’s her turn, and she seems quiet, her head bowed so he can’t even see her eyes.

“Give up. There is no way for you to win.”

“You keep saying that, as if making me run off will exonerate you for what you did.” He’s quiet as she continues, “I remember most of it. I even remember your ugly face before everything turns bad. But I also was remembering most of it during this battle...and I was wondering how the hell someone who so likes to cheat and stack decks has such a Deck. You put out traps and spells, you summon, but the other one, the one in my head…”

Rishid blinks as she says it, and realizes what she wants to say, what she _will_ say.

“I have the Rod! I have Ra!”

“You have what looks like the Rod, and Ra is locked up,” she tells him as she finally raises her head. He blinks when he realizes something, and sees the smiling, almost laughing sphinx behind her, it’s tail waving as contently as a cat in sunlight as it purrs at her, healing her mind and soul, and she finally completes her thought, her eyes determined and her voice confident.

“You’re not Marik.”

He glared at her, and even without Master Marik’s prompting, he spoke. “Than you will face Ra’s wrath for your insolence, woman!”

_I will summon Ra, and I will show that I am a part of the clan. Even if this is a copy, even if this is a shadow of the one Master Marik has, that doesn’t matter. I am his Shadow. I am the one who willfully took on the mark of the Maahes, of the Scarlet Lord, when the one here would not save us from this fate._

_I am his clan. I am his rock and his shadow. I_ will _do this!_

\--

The moment it came out, Kaiba felt his heartrate skyrocket in a way that only his first Shadow Game had done. He was afraid, not excited, and if what Katsuye said was right, then that meant this was a fake, and the odd static in the background was not simply them attempting to hide what it really was.

No, Ra came out, dark mixed with light, like a solar eclipse, and the feeling of the Shadows in his Deck, from Obelisk that had accepted him and that had given some of his cards more life, _screamed_ in anger. The Blue Eyes felt like it was trying to wake up on it’s own, before being summoned, and he felt himself take in a breath before a sudden, warm feeling spread over him, and he heard Yami say, “Kaiba, get the others behind you.”

He didn’t need to see the glowing eye on him to know what to do, and Anzu had already dragged Shizuka back as Mai and Varon, though confused, moved away, Layla following them as Namu started to follow, only for him to stop, a glare suddenly turning his face from kind and placid to angry and almost evil.

He moved forward, not sure what he was going to do, as something seemed to be roaring on the Dueling platform, Katsuye apparently calling out about something as the fake Marik tried to control whatever was going on.

“ _Give up, you moron!_ ” Katsuye yelled over the screaming sound of a storm that seemed to pick up more and more around them. “ _You have to stop this!_ ”

The false Marik said nothing, simply standing as the false Sun God turned black, swirling around them before raining down the attack on it’s owner’s side of the field.

He was moving before Katsuye even started to, jumping up to try to stop her as the false Marik was hit by the attack, the light seeming to go through him as he simply accepted it, falling to the ground before Katsuye shook herself free of his grasp and raced over to him, Kaiba moving to join him as Yami ground out to the Duelist who introduced himself as Namu, “Marik! What have you done?”

Kaiba turned to look in time to see Marik trying to talk before he started to shake, putting his hands to the side of his head and groaning, almost screaming as he said, “No...no, stop it!”

“m-master...marik...no...i have…” the muttering of the man got both he and Katsuye to look at him as he attempted to reach for Marik, his hand moving up slowly, “I...I will...calm the...darkness in…”

The moment his hand fell, eyes closing, Marik let out a blood-curdling scream, his forehead bulging with the same Wadjet eye that his followers had whenever he took control, and his eyes seemed to turn the same type that Gozaburo’s were, when he had beaten Kaiba and told him to continue studying, to make up for time lost, or it would be Mokuba who took the Kaiba name, not him.

“ **Finally** ,” the darker being spoke before it slowly grinned, looking at them all as the others stood behind Yami, Kaiba standing to shield both Katsuye and the false Marik, “ **finally, I am free.** ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Maahes_ : a god with a lion head, who was said to possibly be the son of Sekhmet or Bast (the two were sometimes interchangable or possibly evolved from one another).
> 
> I'm calling what happened to Marik, as well as what Rishid did to himself, as a 'perversion' that has gotten the Shadows to powerful and agitated because a lot of it is abuse, though most of it is both psychological as well as physical. However, little if anything I've looked at seems to have children being so marked as an important part of any ritual - children historically have been given over to orders or continued in specific castes or groups as determined by birth, and begin _training_ but are not given marks denoting them as equals to their teachers until they can/do recite some code or law. Marik getting so abused when he's 10 and being told it's because of his heritage is quite a change from what I do know about how ancient rules and, in some cases, magic works, and possibly is why Yami Marik is Evil Incarnate.


	12. The Empress (Mai vs. Yami Marik)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the final Duelists are called, Mai faces off against Marik in a Duel that is only destined to end badly.

Whatever it is about Yami, the ‘dark’ side of Marik doesn’t attack, apparently content with being free and walking away from them after glaring angrily at the unconscious false-Marik as he leaves. Kaiba is silent, ordering the false-Marik to be placed somewhere safe as the fifteen-minute wait-period begins again, everyone uneasy as they head back down, though most stay in groups. He breaks off to see about Mokuba, going into his room and frowning as he sees him asleep on the bed, the laptop that’s linked to KaibaCorp still on and running as Hinagata looks up when he walks over to put a blanket over his brother.

“Ah, Kaiba-san. We got a bit of a read on the Ra card that the false Marik was using.”

“Was Mokuba awake for that?”

“No,” Hinagata told him, sounding relieved, “he was asleep before then. The sensors could only get a partial read on the Ra card before everything went haywire. The only way for us to get a better idea of what’s going on is if the actual card is played, but what little we found isn’t good.”

“Such as?”

“The card has some hieroglyphs on it - not the ones found in tombs, but what’s considered the version from the priest class. Only thing we can tell so far is that everything about Ra is written in Hieratic text.”

Kaiba let out a sigh as he pulled out the Obelisk card from his Deck. It didn’t really have any writing on it, and he wondered about how the Osiris card looked. Knowing the power of the Obelisk card came from trial and error. Finding out it could take the points of anything sacrificed to it made it quite powerful, but that meant you needed at least five monsters before you could summon it.

Osiris was different, from what little he’d seen of it. It relied on the strength of the cards in the player’s hand, but also on it’s own abilities and tricks. He doubted he knew all of Osiris’ secrets, or that he would know them by the time his Duel with Yugi finally came up.

_Now I must contend with Marik and his ‘dark’ half…_

Something about it made Kaiba even more nervous than his Duel with Pegasus or Yami. Marik had done some bad things before his ‘other self’ came out, and if that other self was always the darker version of the one it inhabited, then Kaiba knew for certain that Marik would use the Shadows gathered to create a Shadow game and do something dangerous.

\--

Mai lets out a sigh as they move back into the main area, Varon looking as worried as the others as the time slowly draws near for the next two Duelists to be chosen. She doesn’t care who she goes up against - the choices are two mystery Duelists she’s never faced, or Kaiba, and while she’d rather face Kaiba, she also isn’t going to back down from whoever she’s forced to face either. She’s not that type of Duelist, and even if she hadn’t faced anything like this before, she isn’t about to run away from something like what she’d see at Duelist Kingdom.

She spots Kaiba coming in to stand near Katsuye, the other girl in this tournament (unless the mystery one is a woman) obvious nervous as they watch the balls fly around in the machine, the four ones rumbling while everyone waited until her number came up. Mai smiled at that and turned, kissing Varon deeply before heading away as Katsuye broke away to go after her. “Mai!”

“It doesn’t matter who goes up against me, Katsuye,” she told her as she looked back and gave her a smile, “I’m ready for any of them.”

“Just...be careful. If it’s Marik…”

She gave a smile and nodded before saying, “I will be ready, but whatever else happens, it happens. I’m not going into this blind, Katsuye. Just be there and cheer me on.”

Katsuye gave her a smile and nod before heading back. Mai was upstairs as the final ball comes down, and the announcement was made.

\--

Marik frowned as he looked at the door, unable to get in both magically as well as in the physical plane. A different, darker type of shadow wraps around it, and he can hear a low, deep growl of a lion or other large cat to one side. He almost laughs as he sees the woman responsible lean against the wall to one side

\--

Mai is not surprised when Marik walks up as the one chosen to go against her, though she steadies herself as she glares at him and thinks about what little she knows about the guy. This was the one who’d messed with Katsuye’s mind and nearly gotten her killed. This was the same guy who’d set those Rare Hunters out and caused all those problems in Battle City, not to mention was probably behind one, if not more, of the hospitalizations that occurred. She didn’t care that he had decided halfway into the tournament that going insane (insaner?) was part of his job, she was going to defeat him and get that supposed ‘special’ card he had.

“Mai!” the sound of Katsuye’s voice got her to look over, spotting the rest as they came up and she blinked, noticing the same, odd mark on Yami’s forehead as on Marik. But while Marik’s looked like something had been put under the skin to make that mark, pushing up from it, Yami’s was almost like a light that shone and brought out something around them.

“Mai, this is dangerous,” he yelled up to her, “you must be careful in this Duel.”

“I got that,” she told him, looking over as the darkness around them seemed to grow. “Just remember that I’m a Duelist. I’m going to face him down on my own.”

The deep, dark chuckle from Marik got her to turn as she glared him down, the voice of the announcer almost lost in the odd, thick fog that surrounded them.

 _Whatever is going on, this is what Yugi and the others had to face at Duelist Kingdom. They got out of this alive, so_ I’ll _get out of this alive as well! I’m not about to let them down, and I’m not going to lose to some punk like the one in front of me!_

\--

Layla is quiet as she watches the Duel from the Shadows, noting how agitated and angry they were, enough to even bend the rules and allow Mai’s sanity to start to slip. Mai had decided to face down Marik, but she had not and did not have the power of an Item, nor did she go into the Shadows willingly. Her resolve was from seeing them already gathering and joining the game, called by Marik even before the Duel had begun.

_Careless and foolish. I should kill him now, except that his sister demands I allow this to happen. If I could readily say my sebah’s name, perhaps I could have taken this boy out and rid the world of his delusion and the continued perversion of the Shadows that those families created._

She should have done this against Shadii, but the Ankh and Scales were strong, and Shadii believed as much in his work as she did in hers. Even with the Eye in her possession, and with her own, minor Items she’d taken into herself after what happened all those centuries ago, they would only end in a stalemate.

She could easily and willingly tear Marik apart, but the ritual they’d put on her sebah meant that was not her place. Not to mention the demonic _thing_ wanted to kill a Maahes.

The scars on the young man’s face were ones she’d only seen with the few who’d joined her side, who worked to shadow their own Item-wielder even as she had shadowed her sebah. He had kept this evil at bay, but they had not been able to stop it from seeping into Marik’s heart and mind. His actions only proved he was still diseased and dangerous, a dog that would have to be put down.

Despite all that was going on, and Mai’s very palpable fear, Layla saw her take in a breath and seem to steady herself before drawing. Whatever she’d been seeing, she seemed to be focused on what the others had _not_ seen, though her mind seemed to supply as well what Yugi and the shadow of her sebah could not.

_Even if they don’t see it, this Duel will be to the death._

Still, her sebah’s call to Mai, telling her that it was the one who was mentally stronger, and Varon’s call that he had to give her more kisses, that got Mai to glare Marik down through the pain and fear, and continue the fight. Her triumphant smile as she pulls out the Winged Dragon of Ra is a good one, until Layla sees the writing.

It’s the priest’s writing. No matter how long she worked with the Pharaoh, she’d never learned that system of writing. It had taken her decades to learn Japanese, and even then her writing was often called ‘childish’.

_The ones who created Ra made it so that only ones who knew this writing could read it._

Her sebah knew it, and if Marik and his Maahes had such cards in their deck, then _they_ knew it.

Mai did not, and Layla had no way of helping her in this.

\--

The Harpies are easy enough to summon, but calling down Ra, and it descending in a huge ball, like the Sun lighting up the night sky, makes her blink in confusion.

_Say the words…_

**_Huh?_ **

_The words. They are written. Say them._

Mai looks down and frowns as she sees the odd writing on the card, the image floating in front of her but not making any sense. A few appear to almost be English, or something Japanese, but she can’t focus enough to see them.

**_I can’t. Why can’t I read them?_ **

There was a feeling of deep anger and annoyance. _The one that held me...it has left that stain on my card. It wants none but itself to wield me, and for me to rule the darkness. It will taunt you and say you cannot because you are not worthy. You are...but it is stopping you._

Mai glared over at him as she considered for a long moment. **_I’m going to lose, aren’t I?_**

_That is highly likely. It will do his best to destroy you as well, to continue to perverse the powers here._

**_Shadows...they’re only created by having some sort of light...something to reflect off of._ **

_It is not a reflection at all, it is a perversion. It is darkness without light, and a spoiled child that will harm you. For what I will be force to do, I am sorry._

Mai looked up at the sphere, then back to Marik, who smirked at her as he said that she couldn’t read the text, before letting out a snort of annoyance. “Of course I can’t. You can’t go five minutes into a Duel without cheating.”

He’s silent as she puts her final card down and ends her turn, hearing Varon yell at her as Marik smirks and draws his own, calling out another Visor and sending the two after her, the chains clamping around her wrists and ankles as the needles from before jam into her skull.

She only barely hears Varon and Katsuye screaming her name as the pain engulfs her.

\--

Yami’s power is fueled mostly by himself and Yugi, but he does his best to keep Yugi from the feeling of the Shadows that surround them, not answering to the calls that he puts towards them or the power he pushed out at them, trying to calm them or even end the Duel.

 _It’s like...an oil slick_ , Yugi thinks to him as they try to use their powers, Yugi’s attempts stumbling but fine as Varon jumps up to try to free Mai while Katsuye and Kaiba--

“NO!”

The two stand defiant, hands out, in front of the ball of flame coming at them, and he almost can’t move fast enough or call upon his power quickly enough before a wall appears before them, Marik gasping when he sees it.

“ **No! She didn’t have any cards! She couldn’t put anything up!** ”

The fire still burns around them, hitting Mai and her life points as Varon struggles with the Visor, the shield beginning to crack before Kaiba yells out to his man, “Call the Duel! It’s over!”  
“T-the winner...the winner is Marik Ishtar!” Even with Marik attempting to call back the Shadows, to attack Mai for her power, Yami feels his own building, his memory of the rules forefront with all the others, and he yells out the word to dispel even the deep darkness that is here, pushing it back as he goes up and stands in front of them, glaring down Marik, seeing his body distort with his inability to control the Shadows, with the perversion of the ritual that created the thing before him, and he feels the Wadjet eye, hot and glowing on his forehead, natural as Marik’s own was unnatural and below his skin, as he tells him. “The game is over. You will not continue.”

“ **She is my sacrifice to the Shadows. You already sacrificed my whole clan to them, Pharaoh. You would deny me my prize?”**

“The Shadows denied it,” he tells him, getting the dark-skinned man to frown, “You have trapped Ra and it now chafes at your command. You have played your game and had none to stand before you, save those that would stop her destruction. The Shadows do not take sacrifices that are given incorrectly. That is why you can never fully control them, why your power is so weak.”

That got Marik to glare at him, his face shifting and seeming to pull, as if stretching like a shadow itself, and he yelled, “ **WEAK? I was born from darkness, from pain and suffering!** **The marks on my back, the ritual that we undertook, all of that is because of the Shadows. I finally have driven that weakling out, and once I kill that servant--** ”

“You won’t,” Yugi said, Yami shifting to stand beside him, the remaining darkness allowing them both to seem there, incorporeal but serious, a block before the united front that Katsuye and Kaiba showed, as Varon held onto Mai, his pose also defensive, “You cannot reach the servant, and you will not. He will wake and you will be driven from the mind of the one you reside in, by Ra itself. We have faced every challenge that the others who wield Shadows have given us, and we will not be thrown aside. You will fail in this, Yami no Marik. I will make sure you do.”

Marik looked over at Yugi, his eyes narrowed, as he let out a laugh. “ **I will make sure you suffer before I am through, _vessel_. But I will also make sure you watch the one who sent my family into the dark fail and die before me, as I command the God Cards to destroy him and all of the scattered pieces of his soul.** ”


	13. Strength (Kaiba vs. Ishizu Ishtar)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaiba faced off against the final Duelist, and has a very strange conversation...

 

After that outcome, Kaiba knows he’ll be the final Duelist, and is ready to simply Duel and possibly push the thoughts of what just happened out of his mind. Mokuba is going to do his best to translate the text, and while he wants Yugi there, he understands why he, Varon, Mazaki, and Katsuye’s sister leave to get Mai downstairs and safe in the secured room that the doctor had set up for the other two comatose patients. Though Marik gives him a dark grin as he moves away from them, neither move from where they’d been standing to face him down, and Kaiba is grateful he’s there to do his best to defend Katsuye from him. Even if his other half was the ‘good’ one, he’d still hurt Katsuye badly, still used her and violated her mind, and he wasn’t about to forgive him for that. Marik walks off without much pressure, though he seems curious enough to stay instead of following the others, and waits as Kaiba gets his Duel Disk ready before glancing at Katsuye. “Will you be alright?”

“I can take him,” she said with a smile, though she still looked rattled. A glance over before Layla came up, glaring at Marik until he moved before she looked back over to the two with a small smile, got Katsuye to relax a bit. “I take it back. _Layla_ can take him.”

“So I gathered,” Kaiba said, looking back. He didn’t know enough about Layla Naunet to consider her a friend or a threat, but he knew that finding out anything about her was tough. His life had not allowed him to look into who she was, really, but he had Hinagata and his friend looking into it, so there was every chance he might still learn about this before the end of the tournament.

A kiss to his cheek startled him back to the arena as he saw Katsuye smirk at him. “That’s for luck, though I don’t know if you really need it. You’re good, even if it is a _burn deck_.”

He glared at her, though there was no real heat behind it, “It’s not. Not anymore. But you’ll just have to stick around and watch so you can actually _know_ that, won’t you?”

Katsuye let out a low chuckle, as Layla groaned and said, “Will you two stop that? I came here to watch card games, not see if I can get diabetes from just watching two people interact.”

Kaiba glared at her as Katsuye smiled, heading down to stand by Layla as his employee, who acted as referee for these, said, “The final Duel in the semi-finals will be fought against Kaiba Seto and the final Duelist, Ishizu Ishtar!”

\--

Ishizu finds the dark half of her brother distracting, even as she sees her brother attempting to escape. She would honestly rather face off against Kaiba with the woman who will sacrifice herself and be the cause for the battle between Kaiba and the Pharaoh, or even face off against the Mighty One herself, than look over at Marik’s evil side as it smirks. The veins on his face are popping, and he looks almost like something possessed by a demon, instead of a person or any of the others who have mastery of the Shadows.

She had not shown them that painting, or others. Time was fluid enough that anything could happen, but right now, the two choices came down to what happened here, and what was played. Kaiba’s fate came down to if he summoned Obelisk or another card, but she knew him enough to know that he would summon Obelisk. All of his tactics, for the praise he got, only put them down to childish moves. He would do his best to defeat her in order to end the Duels for the night and secure everyone away from Marik. He was going to push forward too quickly, see her as nothing more than an annoyance, and that would be his downfall.

She hadn’t needed to look into the future or convince him of this. The smirk on that parasite in her brother said that he knew her Deck well enough to doubt Kaiba’s abilities as well, and without the Pharaoh here to spur him into continuing despite his doubts, she didn’t think he could realistically win, despite all his gloating.

She takes the hits he sends her way easily, not bothering to do more beyond remain calm. Yami is not here to cheer him on. He readily accepted the Obelisk card from her, not knowing her intention, and by the end of this, she would get it back.

_It is because of our family that this is happening, because of the way we have done things, that the parasite is within my brother and that Rishid was hurt. I will end it. Who faces the enemy and returns with the key to the Pharaoh’s fate is uncertain...but I will do my best to ensure that I will be the one to face him, just as that fresco showed._

The first one, the one she showed, always had the Pharaoh and the one she knew as Kaiba facing off, the darkness growing behind them as the two cards they associated the most with came out to fight. The one she hadn’t shown them, the one that she knew involved her when she’d found it after all that had happened, showed herself wielding Obelisk against the Pharaoh’s Osiris, even as the same deep darkness rose above them.

She would be the one to defeat Kaiba, reclaim Obelisk, and, if needed, beg for her brother’s soul to be saved. There was no other way this would play out. Kaiba would call forth Obelisk when he had a chance, no matter what she did, and the moment he attacked, his fate would be sealed.

\--

Kaiba wonders how the hell it was that Ishizu got this far in the tournament if all she did was fall for such traps like his Crush Virus one. To one side, he sees Katsuye frowning, as if trying to figure something out, as Layla glares down Marik from the other side of the field and appears ready to go after him if he so much as moves towards them.

Obelisk is in his hand already, and all he needs is to either get three monsters on his side, or use the three on hers. He’s still debating what to do about it even as he gets ready to activate the Virus Cannon.

Katsuye suddenly looks panicked as he uses the Virus Cannon on Ishizu, but not out of happiness for his win. He blinks as he looks at her and she starts trying to mime something, pointing at Marik then back to Ishizu.

_Ishtar...they’re brother and sister then...and they guarded…_

_Graves…they guarded graves…_

A lot of Duelists, especially in this tournament and as the Shadows gained power, used themed Decks. It was what made himself and a few others stand out. Mai was known for her Harpy deck, but during her Duel with Marik, most of her fighters had been Amazons, with the Harpies and their allies as back-ups. It made for a balanced Deck, just like Katsuye’s variety of warriors made for a good balance as well. She didn’t base her Deck on power-houses either, but to some degree on chance or luck, as well as being able to deal with almost anything. Her deck complimented her style - she attacked directly as needed, but backed away and waited if she had to assess the situation. Yugi and Yami tried to balance their Deck, no matter what, and besides adding and modifying his Deck to work or delay so he could call up either the Blue Eyes or Obelisk, little had changed from it. His monsters would either destroy the other ones, or his trap and spell cards would destroy the deck as he’d been doing to Ishizu’s deck.

But when he sees the card Exchange of Spirits appears on Ishizu’s side, he finds himself freezing in realization of the trap he’d so easily walked into in his arrogance.

_She now has all her monsters and cards back…and I have seven turns left now…she knows my whole deck, how…_

He slowly shakes his head as he hears Katsuye yell, “Come on, Kaiba! You can do this, kick her self-righteous ass!”

He glanced over at her as Katsuye gave him a smile, before he looked back to his hand. He had Obelisk in his hand, and even if the small number meant there was every chance he might possibly lose.

_She doesn’t give up, and neither does Yugi or even Yami. I can’t consider myself as good as them if I’m not willing to get through this Duel, even if it ends up with my loss._

Before this, he wouldn’t even entertain the idea of losing, but with this realization now before him, he’s forced to come to terms with it. He hates that he might lose, that he’s close to possibly losing, but it doesn’t stop him from thinking that, perhaps, he has a chance of winning despite the odds.

_I will summon Obelisk from her monsters if I must, and will defeat her on my own terms. I will not let her defeat me, no matter what._

He has Soul Exchange on his side, and the few monsters he has in his Deck will not allow him to summon Obelisk right now, not to mention whatever other traps or spells she has herself. All of that could and would easily fall before the power of the God Card she gave him, and Kaiba accepts that he may have to take a few hits and get the closest to defeat as he’d ever gotten before finally defeating her.

He couldn’t risk losing, but some part of him wondered about why she was here and challenging him, besides trying to save her brother. He tried to think of it even as he did his best to concentrate on the game, but beyond saving her brother from his own darker instincts, he couldn’t see it.

_Unless there is more than one way for a prophecy to come true._

There had been no sign of who would win in that fated Duel between himself and Yami, so now he wondered if that had not been the only path seen. If that was true, than Ishizu had lied just enough to bolster his ego and make him _think_ he would always fight Yami before the final confrontation.

_There has to be more to this. Major prophecies are either very vague, or very precise._

Just because Kaiba didn’t believe in prophecies didn’t mean he didn’t see a reason for keeping up with them. He walked in circles that included a possibly-ancient spirit of a Pharaoh, and he’d faced the Shadows multiple times and lost to them - though at least once he’d managed to gain the confidence needed to overthrow Gozaburo, the final time had been so painful he taken every precaution he could think of when it came to treating people for this tournament, including hiring a few actual, proven psychics and mystics to help with the healing if they showed signs of the Shadows being used.

Ishizu isn’t backing down, and with the full force of her stronger monsters and multiple cards that she could use now, it meant she had more power over the game at the moment.

_I still have every chance of defeating her. I can defeat her. I_ will _, no matter how hard it becomes, I_ will defeat her _._

\--

Ishizu waited as Kaiba looked greedily over the two monsters on her side. She knew that he would use Soul Exchange to get her monsters, and to summon Obelisk. She’d left him no other route but to defeat.

Ishizu stopped that train of thought as soon as she had it, chiding herself for thinking that way. There was a reason there were two murals and not one, a reason that the path to stopping her brother was so woven through the centuries before her family began to forbid anyone testing themselves to take hold of the Items they’d been given, millennia ago, when they were exiled.

_The only thing that is certain is who will be the sacrifice to spur on the Pharaoh and the Priest into their battle,_ she thought sadly, glancing over at the girl nearby, who did her best to cheer Kaiba on without causing too much commotion or saying anything too quickly. _Jounouchi Katsuye…another dragon whose death will result in the Pharaoh and Priest rallying and defeating a new evil. But I must be the one who tries to save him. For all that he’s done, my brother...my real brother, he’s still in that parasite, and I have to at least do what I can to save him._

Kaiba was at the point where he couldn’t do anything else but summon Obelisk, and the bomb for sacrifices was already in Zolga. This was the end of it, and there was nothing else he could do but use Obelisk to destroy himself.

_The future is always fluid, but that doesn’t stop the fact that one turn, one shift, is all it takes to send us down one path or the other. No matter what, when he chooses this path, the second stone, the Battle between those who See the Future and the one who Represents the Past, will start. The future is too clouded by the Shadows, by the maelstrom created by that parasite’s use of them, for any of us to See clearly, but I know that, no matter what, the Pharaoh_ must _win._

She waited as Kaiba glanced down at his cards and then back at her, overly confident with Obelisk behind him, glaring down at her. He’d forgotten her face-down card, and seemed ready to attack, to finally set the path this story would take, when she felt the Shadows suddenly shift, moving around as she glanced down, glaring, at the woman to one side.

Layla Naunet looked back at her, a flick of her eyes directing Ishizu from her instead to the glowing Millennium Rod in Marik’s hands, her brother looking confused as Katsuye yelled out, “Kaiba! Hey, come on, what’s wrong? KAIBA?”

\--

_The fresco and carvings he’d seen so long ago come before him, and he blinks as he sees something else instead, something odd, coming out of it. A person that looks like him comes out, crossing his arms as he looks over him critically, his dark eyes near-emotionless and the White Dragon to his side shifting as he speaks, his words going from another language to Japanese easily as Seto stands, frozen before the man who looks like him._

_“I would have thought the one who at least holds the same looks at me would also have some of the same intelligence.”_

_“What are you talking about?”_

_“I came here from a peaceful afterlife to speak to you. Don’t try my patience,” his doppelganger all but growls out, “We can feel it as well - the reawakening of the Shadows and of the_ swt _of our Pharaoh. He’s been away too long, and all have rejoined him but that piece. The moment he has it, or that it speaks it’s new_ ren _and becomes it’s own being, then can he join us. You’re holding it up.”_

_Seto frowned at that. “How?”_

_“You’re making a mistake. You hold the card that is imbued with his Power. You’re using it against one who holds an Item. Don’t.”_

_That got Seto to glare at him. “What_ do _you recommend?”_

_“I don’t know the game well enough to recommend anything,” his doppelganger said with a shrug, displacing the Blue Eyes to go over to Seto. “She does.”_

_He looked back at the Blue Eyes, then to him. “You...know her?”_

_“No. But the Shadows have started to waken the beasts in the cards you carry. She is a being of light, and apparently enjoys her time with you. She is also upset over what might happen to her...opposite.”_

_Seto looked at the Blue Eyes, his mind suddenly going to a black dragon with red eyes, and Katsuye holding her shoulder as she fights for control of her own mind. “What do you mean?”_

_The doppelganger considered before waving, showing him kneeling before a broken pillar, a woman’s lifeless body in his arms, a familiar man next to him, defending him, as he mourned her. “I lost someone, and my soul, my spirit and all that was me, rallied to fight the darkness. But by that time, it was too late, and I lost my Pharaoh. History is not quite repeating, but it is close. However, I think this time, you both might get out of this.”_

_Seto looks at the ruins, at the dead woman, and for a moment, he sees Katsuye’s body, laid down with a half-formed Gearfried in front of her, and Marik smirking as he advances towards her with a flashing knife coming from the Millennium Rod--_

As he comes back, his head aching and his hand shaking almost violently as he reached up to touch his forehead, trying to focus as he looks down at the card, at the Blue Eyes he should have summoned earlier, but that he’d avoided because...why?

_What was her face-down card? Why was she so confident that I would lose? Because...I’d summon God and simply attack her with it._

_Obelisk and all the other God cards can be affected by spell and trap cards at least once, even if it’s just a small thing. She placed the spell card before summoning her last monster, before I did something she would expect from me, did the one thing that I could do._

He straightened as he pulled out the other card he can use, knowing now what he had to do. _I can’t allow that future! I won’t allow it! I will not lose the person I care for just to drive me into action!_

“I use Silent Summoning to bring out my Gear Soldier! I now sacrifice the two monsters I have on the field--.”

“WHAT? No! You can’t!”

“I can, and I will! I summon my _own_ monster, the one that is mine and mine alone!” He can all but feel Obelisk’s approval as it disappears, even though his head is still pounding from whatever he’d seen and been affected by earlier, and he hears the Blue Eyes’ triumphant roar as it appears before him, screaming at Ishizu in anger as it curls its tail almost protectively around Kaiba. Ishizu looked surprised at seeing it, as Kaiba glared her down. “I make my own future, and I will do that now! Blue Eyes, attack!”

The white lightning streaked out and hit Ishizu’s side of the field, not actually hitting her. He noted that many of the times that some things attacked directly didn’t always hit directly, and some part of him worried about that fact.

Ishizu looked calm as she nodded to him, though after a long moment, she looked sad as the platform began to lower again, Katsuye cheering as Marik, with a look of disgust at Kaiba, walked back inside as Layla followed his movement with her eyes. “You cannot change one thing, Kaiba-san. I know now why there were two paintings, and why the ending was always there.”

“What do you mean?”

“I showed you and Yami one possible future, of you two fighting to gain the ability to take on the darkness that is within my brother. The other...I fought for that right, against Yami and in the hopes of using the God Cards to change my brother’s fate. Knowing what I know now, and seeing how the Shadows _should_ be used, I understand why it is that my family’s ideas were bastardized and corrupt versions of what we should have done. We guarded the secrets, and never should we have used the Rod for the acts we did, or not used the necklace and punished those allowed to wield its powers as we had.”

“You said I cannot change one thing,” Kaiba said right before they got level enough for Katsuye to come up and greet him, “What is that?”

“A sacrifice will be made in order to spur on Yami and yourself into fighting my brother. The nature of it will determine if he lives or dies by the end...but one of the finalists _must_ be that sacrifice. This time...she must be one close to both the Priest and the Pharaoh.”

_He saw his past self, kneeling in front of a broken pillar, mourning the loss of a woman who bled onto the white stones--_

“You saw a false future here,” he finally ground out as Katsuye came up to see him, “and I managed to change that. Whatever you saw, that will _not_ happen. I won’t allow it.”

Katsuye frowned at him as Ishizu looked over at her, then back to Kaiba. “There are only four people in the finals. Can you really stop that future from happening?”

She walked away, passing Layla with barely a look as Katsuye turned to him, obviously confused. “What was that about?”

“She apparently believes something bad is going to happen,” he told her, “I think that I’ll be able to stop it, or at least that Yami will.”

She frowned and crossed her arms, looking over to where Ishizu had left and where Layla was going as well, before looking back over at him. “Are you doing ok? What happened?”

“I…” he let out a breath, realizing how much his head still hurt. “I don’t know. I suppose the Shadows or whatever decided to speak to me. It’s…”

“It hurts,” she muttered as he looked over at her, and she shrugged. “It does. I noticed it after that whole thing with the bastard’s ‘nice’ side doing that whole...duel Yami to the death...thing…” she shifted, obviously uncomfortable with the situation, before saying, “I need to go check on Mai and Shizuka. You’d better go tell Mokuba that you’re fine and going to the finals of your own tournament.” She shook her head again as she gave him a smile.

“What?”

“I can’t believe you fell for that.”

“Shut up.”

“She was _owning_ your ass, it was almost hilarious.” He glared at her as his headache began to slowly go away as she grinned back at him, obviously having too much fun reminding him of what had happened.

“Says the girl who can’t get through a Duel without losing most of her life-points anyway.”

“Yeah, well, I never say my wins are from ‘skills’,” she pointed out as they walked back into the main part of the ship, “I’ve played enough card games before this to know it’s about luck, and I just embraced that fact.”

He considered for a long time before finally saying, “You have a point...though some decks are built to work best with that ‘luck’.”

She shrugged before turning and moving up a bit, kissing him as he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close and deepening it briefly before the two broke it off. He tried hard to not think about what he’d seen, what Ishizu had said, then he said, “Go check on your friend, and on your sister. I need to make sure my brother is alright. The locks will keep Marik out for the night, but…”

“He’s still in the finals,” she said, “and that makes him dangerous still. I get it. Even before he decided insanity was the way to go, I figured out he was dangerous.”

“I won’t let him hurt you again,” he muttered, “and neither will Yugi or Yami. We won’t give him the chance.”

She stiffened a bit, as if ready to argue, then relaxed. “I don’t need that protection, Seto. I...appreciate it, but I can take care of myself.”

“I’m not saying you can’t,” he told her seriously, “I’m just saying that we’ll also watch out for you, in case things get to the point where you do need help.”

She looked up at him, her eyes searching, then finally gave him a huge smile. “Thanks.” They slowly moved apart before she headed to her quarters or to see the others, Kaiba quickly entering his own to see Mokuba still asleep, Ren now on the video chat and typing furiously as she says, “ _Kaiba-san, we managed to get the image of the Ra card, but we’re having an issue with translating the hieratic text on it._ ”

“So there is that text on it?”

“ _Yes,_ ” Ren told him seriously, “ _but it’s really hard to translate. Oni-san got a massive headache while he was trying to do it, but he managed to leave a few notes. I’m working on it too._ ”

“What’s so hard about it?”

“ _Well, for one, it’s not a standard hieratic. It’s like it was mixed up or something. Like someone wrote it while only knowing enough to read the text, not write it, or that they just copied it from somewhere else._ ”

He shifted to look at the card, frowning as he did and feeling the headache from before come back. “It’s...what is this?”

“ _Kaiba-san? Are you ok?_ ”

“...yes,” he finally said, sitting down to type a bit as he looked the card over again. “You are right about the hieratic - it isn’t standard so translating it will take a bit. But I think I have a general idea of what it says.”

“ _You do?_ ”

He paused and closed his eyes, fighting the headache that was returning from that odd battle. It felt like his mind was trying to process information from a completely different system, and one that should be outdated at best. His hand started to shake again as he recalled the odd conversation with the man who looked like him, remembered what he’d said and what Kaiba had seen before he had called on the Blue Eyes to finish the fight.

_I won’t let that future come to pass. I don’t care what I have to do...I won’t let that_ thing _touch her again._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Duel Monsters in Ancient Egypt was a stupid concept to begin with, so yes, I'm changing some of what happened in the past. That will make things interesting when I get to Yami's memories and the Millennium Arc.
> 
> Also yes, bad things are coming. Because reasons.


	14. Judgment (Layla Naunet)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Layla has some words with Shadii and Marik. Yugi worries over the future. The Finals are almost ready to begin.

Part 14: Judgment (Layla Naunet)        

Yami was exhausted from the use of his powers for so long, allowing Yugi to come forward as Ishizu entered the room. The medical room and the others were protected electronically, as well as magically (he’s not sure who put it up, but he’s grateful for the added protection) but there’s nothing that Yami can do to call anyone back. Bakura’s mixed soul is too weak to really wake, and it seems unable to focus enough or find a purpose to even move. It makes him worry about his fate - if he doesn’t wake up soon, let alone allow his soul something to strengthen it, he could die as easily as the others.

The unnamed man who’d worked for Marik is in a similar state, lost in the darkness of his memories and his failure. He cannot reach the one that he tends to live for, or at least that he’s put his mind behind, and Yami wonders if perhaps Ishizu couldn’t help a bit in drawing him out. His presence, and the carvings on his face, marking him as a Maahes, as a protector, means that he would be instrumental in defeating the darkness in Marik.

But Mai...the fire from Ra and the abuse that Marik threw at her near the end of the Duel had caused her to be too drained. His attempt to gain her soul to torment was, thankfully, one that hadn’t happened, but it had weakened Yami enough that calling any of them back, or healing them if he could, was near impossible. Even when Yugi offered to help and lend his own strength, it had been shot down gently, pointing out that they might need to defend themselves against Marik later, and that at least one of them would need to

“You’re awake,” Ishizu said as she saw Yugi look up at her, glancing around the room. Katsuye and Shizuka were talking nearby, Shizuka looking sad as Katsuye tried to comfort her. Varon was sitting with Mai, and Anzu stood near him, as if to protect him from whatever came up.

“Hello,” he muttered, looking at her, “you’re the woman who showed Yami those paintings.”

She nodded, giving him a sad smile. “I wanted to tell you about what happened. About the horrible history of the Ishtars, and how it came to be that my brother gained that parasite in his mind.”

\--

“’Guardians of the tomb’,” Layla said, her voice flat as she saw Shadii appear, “’from now on, your fate will be a tragedy of blood that will split your bloodline apart. That is the will of the Pharaoh.’ At least when I work to frighten children, I don’t tell them such lies.”

“It was their fate for that to happen, so the Pharaoh could return,” he said, showing no remorse or fear as he faced her, “They would have found that fate, no matter what.”

“The perversion of the Shadows, their evil rituals, all of those were started by the child’s father and grandfather. This is not calling upon darkness for darkness’ sake - this is doing what could be done to make a cult, and to hide that away after they realized that the Puzzle had been taken from it’s resting place. Not to mention that an explorer managed to get the Ring, while Pegasus got the Eye...all your doing.”

“You seem to forget that it was your fault, originally, that we ever did all that happened. You were the one who massacred the priests, and was instrumental in sealing the Shadows the first time. Had you not, all that happened to our country, all that happened to destroy us and degrade us, that would not have occurred!”

“And we wouldn’t be here,” she waved a hand at the area around them. “I know what I am, Shadii. I know why I have lived this long and why I did what I have done. You can say all you want, but all I see is a man who is angry because his family has become entitled and believe that they are the only inheritors of the powers. That you can’t wrap your head around the fact that all those foreigners could gain their powers when only you, the one person of your whole can, holds any sort of sway over the Items, is not something I care to explain to you. Your actions and that of your family is what drove the Ishtars to act as they had, and it created the darkness we face, that now threatens all of our plans. I know what has to be done. Unlike you, I have seen all the frescos, carvings, and paintings, and I trust the one who holds the Tauk. I know what has to be done, in order for him to even get near enough to choose the path I or your want him to take. You know nothing about how the Shadows really work, Shadii, nor how this is going to end. I’ve seen all the visions of the future, all of them leading up to one thing. My sebah is going to fight the darkness again, and he will be spurred on to defeat it, not because of his memories, or because of his wish to defeat an evil that must be erased.”

“What, then?”

She considers what she’s seen, and what it now means to her, and tells him, “It’s going to be the same thing that pushes him to discover himself, and decide what to do. You and yours set up this game long ago, Shadii. I am simply working inside of the rules, and going by what has been Seen by the Tauk. I at least believe in that and it’s ability to predict the future, and I believe in it’s wielder’s ability to know what the Future is.” The Tauk and it’s power to see the future had always been one that was messy at best. Darker beings could make seeing past their influence hard, but visions of what could happen, what could change things, always came with how important they were.

Kaiba’s defeat would have been important, had his victory not also been seen as well. One of two things was to happen when they reached the final arena - a God would face a God, or a Dragon and Magician would battle. But the battle before it, the one that would push her sebah, her Pharaoh, into that fight, would have to happen.

He looked at her, sweating but still trying to appear regal, as he asked, “Then what do you plan to do, Sekhmet? What is your decision on how to handle the way this is going? The Pharaoh must return, he must take his place, and he must return to his past, become who he once was, and forget the one that freed him and that should have disappeared months ago, as the soul of the one holding the Thief’s stolen Item should have disappeared.”

“What I always do,” she told him as her power came up enough for her chimera to appear, “what is best to ensure my Pharaoh is able to do what is right, what is _ma’at_. I have faith he will do just that, no matter what you and yours think.”

Shadii disappears into the Shadows as she hears a scoff from nearby, looking over as the chimera growled at the new intruder, Layla’s disdain and disregard for him the only reason it didn’t attack. “It’s far past your bedtime, little boy. What do you want?”

“ **The man you were speaking with was responsible for my weaker half’s desire to kill the Pharaoh, and for allowing my awakening. But I am curious about you. You hold the power like us, but you are not a holder of a Millennium Item.** ”

Layla frowned at him, shifting to hold the Eye in the palm of her hand. “I hold an Item.”

“ **You know what I mean. My father _held_ the Rod, but I _use_ it. I used it to hold him while I took the skin off his back and gave it to the worthless servant who bound me. I used it to push my weaker self into giving that same servant a card that would allow me to be freed, and I will use it now to deal with you and with that worthless servant.**”

“I’m sure you can try,” she said, putting the Eye back and taking out the Blade. Right now, it was only a hilt, but it quickly regained it’s shape of a long, curved sword, the type that the Egyptians had used in days of old, the red-gold color making it look like a blade carved from some dark gemstone. She gave him a sidelong look before slowly standing from the wall, her own power curling out around her as she looked at him, waiting. He blinked, his hooded eyes growing a bit wide as he saw her power and the Blade, his grip on the Rod tightening as he finally asked, “ **You...what are you? What power do you think you have?** ”

“I don’t ‘think’ to have power, I _know_ my power and my place,” she all but growled at him, sounding almost deadly as she continued in Egyptian, in a dialect he’d only heard in relation to the rituals that had been performed and that he’d read during his short life, her tone harsh but never rising into a yell, her stance coiled and ready to hit him if he tried anything. “You ask what I am. I am the Mighty One, the Red Lady, the lady of terror who stood in my Pharaoh’s shadow and the destroyer of rebellious elements. I am the Lady of the Tomb, the one who is the instrument of Ra and of the Pharaoh. I am the Lioness, and if you _dare_ approach my Maahes again, I will not allow you to continue breathing. Go to bed, _child_. I will deal with you later.”

He slowly backed away, the murderous look returning to his eyes, before going into his assigned room. The time was almost upon them for lights out, and she whispered to him and all else as the lights turned out and darkness descended around them, save for a soft, red glow of the safety lights, “I am death incarnate, and no matter which Millennial Items you wield, or however many, I have my own powers to fall back on, my own Items, and I will not stand for you approaching my sebah again.”

\--

Ishizu’s halting tale about what had happened to her brother, and what Shadii had told them, made it hard for Yugi to sleep that night. He could feel Yami doing his best to relax him, wrapping his soul and mind in warmth, but it still made him afraid.

Their first meeting with Shadii had involved him invading their souls and threatening to ‘rearrange’ Yugi’s soul room. The second had shown how ruthless he was, even using Anzu as bait and nearly killing them in an effort to show that he was stronger because of his loneliness.

_Why would he do something like that to them? Why would he make Marik think that?_

**_He wanted Marik to leave the tomb,_** Yami said, sounding sad, **_I think Shadii wants nothing more than to try to have all of the Items out and for them to be collected, though for what reason, I cannot figure out._**

_He’s going to try to gain control of you, isn’t he? We got into this to figure out who you were before, the rest of you, and he...he…_

Yami hugged Yugi tighter, kissing him gently, the soul-kiss calming him as well as making him curl a bit more around the hanging puzzle that he touched during his sleep. **_I will do all in my power to protect us, Yugi. I will not let him hurt you, or take me away from you. No matter what, we are strong together, and I have regained more of my control over the Shadows. We will be together, I promise._**

_I know...I’ll do all I can to be with you, to help. No matter what happens, we’ll get through this together._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For a bit of a change, this is something my friends showed me to try to get me into Babylon 5. I may or may not have played this a few times to get an idea of how Layla would talk to people ^^;
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaSmassvv4w


End file.
